St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital Adds Second Robot to Minimally Invasive Surgical Program

New technology accommodates growing GYN surgical volume

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 15, 2017 — To better meet the health care needs of women in the Tampa Bay area, St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital has added a second robot to its minimally invasive surgical program. The da Vinci Xi® Surgical System features upgraded technology for increased ease of use, visibility and access, which is especially important for physicians treating gynecology-oncology patients. The first procedure with this new device—a robotic hysterectomy with lymph node dissection—was performed yesterday.

Since obtaining its first robot in 2012, the hospital has more than doubled its annual robotic surgical volume to 478 cases last year.

“We are investing in the health of our community by expanding the minimally invasive surgical program with the most technologically advanced robotics available,” explained Kimberly Guy, president of St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and head of women’s services for BayCare. “With this new da Vinci Xi, we will double our capacity to six to eight robotic surgeries per day, allowing us to better accommodate our patients.”

The da Vinci Xi enables surgeons to perform delicate and highly complex operations through a few small incisions. This technology includes:
• Improved visual definition, clarity and depth perception of the surgical site
• Smaller, thinner arms with newly designed joints that offer a greater range of motion
• Tremor filtration that provides a steady, natural motion
• Longer instrument shafts for greater operative reach
• Updated Firefly Fluorescence Imaging for enhanced cancer detection

St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital patients benefit from:
• Procedures completed at an earlier time, allowing them to recover and be discharged earlier the same day (for outpatient procedures)
• Reduced wait time for patient scheduling, due to increased capacity

About St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital
St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, part of the BayCare Health System, offers complete obstetrical, perinatal, surgical, gynecological and oncological services. Only St. Joseph's Women's Hospital offers the Shimberg Breast Center, where women can receive the most advanced testing and treatment available. Due to its comfortable Labor and Delivery suites, extensive childbirth programs, Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Maternal/Fetal program, St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital is widely regarded as the place in Tampa to have a baby and delivers more babies than any other facility in the Tampa Bay region.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care.

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