Genesis shows off robotic-assisted surgery systems

Dr. Robert Harson was talking about the great advantages robotic-assisted surgery offers to patients, when he was interrupted. One of his patients – 91-year-old Lois Nichols of Bettendorf – gave the Genesis Medical Center surgeon a hug while he was talking to members of the local media about advances in medical care at Genesis. She […]

Dr. Robert Harson was talking about the great advantages robotic-assisted surgery offers to patients, when he was interrupted. One of his patients – 91-year-old Lois Nichols of Bettendorf – gave the Genesis Medical Center surgeon a hug while he was talking to members of the local media about advances in medical care at Genesis. She said she had to interrupt his interview time to thank him for saving her life.

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“I consider myself very lucky to have found these people here, and I didn’t need to travel elsewhere for care,” said Ms. Nichols, who had surgery for colon cancer in October. Dr. Harson did that surgery – with the help of new robotics technology called the da Vinci Surgical System. That robotic system – along with another high-tech system called the Intuitive ION used to detect lung cancer – were two of the featured attractions on Friday, Dec. 1, during a news conference to showcase the robotic technology used by Genesis. The event was part of a day-long robotics program held in the main lobby of Genesis Medical Center, 1227 E. Rusholme St., Davenport, to show the robots to medical workers. Genesis says it is a leader in the adoption of the robotic technology in the Quad Cities region. The technology helps patients because usually they can go home the same day after a procedure, their recovery time is much faster compared to non-robotic surgeries, there are fewer complications and lower infection rates, as well as a reduced need for narcotic pain medicine, said Dr. Harson. At Genesis, surgeons have performed 6,700 minimally invasive procedures with the robotic technology in the areas of urology, general surgery, gynecology and lung biopsy. For instance in lung biopsy procedures, the Intuitive ION robot offers these advantages, according to information provided by Genesis: 

• The robot can detect lung cancer at earlier stages with biopsies that are smaller than  one to two centimeters.
• The procedure has an 88% diagnosis rate of the specimen.
• The non-invasive approach has less than a 2% complication rate.
• Diagnosis and treatment timelines are quicker.
• Earlier detection leads to lower health care costs.

Dr. Harson said it has been a long journey to get the robot technology in many operating rooms. In fact, he saw his first da Vinci-assisted surgery in 2003. In those days, some people in the medical field still looked at the robot devices “as toys” and resisted using the new technology. “There are still some people who still don’t like it,” but the technology has gained wide acceptance, he added. One of the main reasons Dr. Harson likes the new technology is because his patients spend much less time in the hospital. In the case of colon surgeries, patients are often home after one day in the hospital. When the same procedures are done without the robots, patients can be in the hospital for five days or longer, he added. One of the big fans of the new robot technology is Ms. Nichols. She was in pain for nearly six years with an unknown condition until Genesis doctors found the problem. The retired music teacher and Figge Art Museum docent said she lost 25 pounds while waiting for a correct diagnosis. “Lots of people volunteered to give me some of their weight,” she joked at the news conference. A colonoscopy revealed that she had colon cancer and needed surgery. Dr. Harson used the da Vinci surgery system technology to remove the cancer. “It didn’t take me hardly any time to recover from the surgery because you don’t have a big incision,” she added. On Friday, Ms. Nichols also was happy to report: “They did all kinds of tests on me and I’m cancer free.”