May 19, 2016
Imagine taking the controls of the world's most advanced surgical robot used to perform delicate procedures? Do you have the gentle touch and steady hands?
Wausau area residents are welcome to find out during a public demonstration of the da Vinci® Xi Surgical System, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, May 23, at Marshfield Clinic Wausau Center, 2727 Plaza Drive.
A mobile model, a replica of the fourth generation of this technology, will be on display to give the public a chance to see this cutting-edge technology and have their own hands-on experience. The demonstrations show how the robotic arm works and benefits for more minimally-invasive surgery.
The Clinic's physicians have begun using the new robot to remove prostates and perform hysterectomies in Wausau. This is the Clinic's second da Vinci robot after the first was introduced in November in Marshfield.
"The da Vinci Xi robot allows for better visualization and more precise movements than other minimally-invasive options for thoracic, cardiac, general surgery, urology and gynecology cases," said Dr. Julio Bird, a general surgeon and the Clinic's most experienced surgeon with this da Vinci model. "This allows patients to have shorter healing times, meaning less time recovering and more time enjoying life."
Marshfield Clinic's technology push, which coincides with the organization's 100th anniversary in 2016, provides high quality care and returns patients to good health quickly. This has been achieved by construction of comfort and recovery suites and expansion of ambulatory surgery center services in Wausau, Marshfield and Eau Claire.
"Our ambulatory surgery services and use of the da Vinci robot allows patients to receive care in a clinical setting instead of a more costly hospital," Bird said. "Our mission is to give people care they need in a comfortable setting while limiting the patient's cost of that care."
