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 […]
Already a subscriber? Log in
Want to Read More?
Get immediate, unlimited access to all subscriber content and much more.
Learn more in our subscriber FAQ.
- Unparalleled business coverage of the Iowa City / Cedar Rapids corridor.
- Immediate access to subscriber-only content on our website.
- 52 issues per year delivered digitally, in print or both.
- Support locally owned and operated journalism.
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.
“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:
1 of 5
- 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.