CornerStone - Vol 20, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2010

Gone are the days when a robot in the operating room would only be seen in futuristic fiction. At Winthrop-University Hospital, surgeons are using the ultra-high-tech daVinci Si HD Surgical System to perform minimally invasive surgeries with unprecedented precision.



Seated at a special high-tech console a few feet away from the patient, surgeons attach their fingers to robotic controls, and set their eyes on the high-definition screen where a real-time 3-D, magnified image of the surgical field gives them a better-than-real view of the area of interest. Fine surgical instruments are placed inside the patient through tiny incisions, and the surgeon is ready to work.

“It is a far superior approach to surgery,” says Eva Chalas, MD, Chief of Gynecological Oncology and Director of Clinical Cancer Services at Winthrop. “The surgeon’s view of the surgical field exceeds what is achieved with the natural eye, and the control over the instruments is more precise thanks to technology that translates the surgeon’s movements into exquisitely defined movements by the robotic instruments.”

The new daVinci Surgical System consists of an ergonomically designed surgeon’s console, a patient-side cart with interactive robotic arms, the high-performance InSite® Vision System and proprietary EndoWrist® Instruments. Powered by state-of-the-art robotic technology, the surgeon’s hand movements are scaled, filtered and seamlessly translated into precise movements of the instruments. The result is an intuitive interface with breakthrough surgical capabilities.

“The EndoWrist instruments offer great advantages over traditional laparoscopic instruments,” said Collin Brathwaite, MD, Chief of the Division of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Winthrop.

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Advanced Cardiac Imaging Services at Winthrop

Working together to enhance imaging services for cardiac patients, Winthrop- University Hospital’s Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology recently joined forces to launch a comprehensive cardiac imaging service that combines state-of-the-art diagnostic technology and unprecedented image quality with a team of specially-trained cardiologists and radiologists who provide expert assessments of a wide range of cardiovascular conditions.
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Winthrop’s Telehealth Monitoring Program: Making the Home the Preferred Place of Care

It’s 10 a.m. in the Levittown home of Charlie Dispenzieri. A small medical monitoring device sounds, greeting Mr. Dispenzieri and reminding him that it’s time to take his vitals. Every day, the 87-year-old steps on a scale and measures his blood pressure and oxygen with simple devices that attach to the monitoring system, and answers a series of brief questions about how he’s feeling. With the simple touch of a button, he transmits the information through his telephone land-line to a computerized monitoring system for clinical review and evaluation by a nurse in Winthrop- University Hospital’s Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA).
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Minimally Invasive Technique Offers Hope for Chronic Back Pain Sufferers

Although Mary Anne Angst makes light about the meaning of her last name, pain was no laughing matter for the retired 61-year-old of Garden City, who has suffered with chronic back pain for the past four years. Until recently, she hadn’t enjoyed a full night’s sleep in almost a year. Like many Americans who suffer with chronic back pain, Mrs. Angst was tired of not being able to walk, sit or sleep comfortably. After attempts to obtain relief through physical therapy left her feeling frustrated and still in pain, Mrs. Angst turned to a team of specialists at Winthrop-University Hospital for help.
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