St. John's Hospital Acquires Latest Technology in Robotic-Assist...( Only hospita...),Health

Only hospital in the Midwest with the dual console da Vinci, St. John's aims to become regional training center

Springfield, Illinois (PRWEB) July 23, 2009 -- St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, recently became the only hospital in the Midwest to acquire a dual console da Vinci surgical robot, and one of three hospitals in the United States to purchase the new system.

The da Vinci is the latest robotic-assisted surgery system that gives surgeons an enhanced three-dimensional view of the operative field and greater flexibility to maneuver instruments during a minimally invasive procedure.

With the acquisition in late June of the dual console da Vinci, St. John's aims to be the Midwest leader in training for robotic surgery. The acquisition of the new dual-console da Vinci SI Surgical System will allow greater collaboration for surgeons who perform robotic surgical procedures and enhance teaching opportunities at St. John's Hospital.

"I've traveled around the United States doing robotic surgeries, and the team at St. John's is of the highest quality. With this technology, St. John's will attract the best and the brightest for training," said Bradley Schwartz, MD, the director for laparoscopy and endourology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Dr. Schwartz has performed more than 120 robotic surgical procedures at St. John's Hospital.

With the dual console, a surgeon training on the robot can work side-by-side with the expert surgeon performing the op
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