North Austin hospitals advance robotic care From the cover
Two-minute impact
• 125,000 robotic procedures performed since 2015 through St. David’s HealthCare Local branch: • St. David’s North Austin Medical Center • 12221 N. Mopac, Austin St. David’s
Dell Children’s North, located near Cedar Park, began using the VELYS robot to perform spinal surgeries for children in the area this summer. The 3D imaging technology allows surgeons to more accurately place and drill screws in a patient’s back that may be needed to correct scoliosis or other spinal deformities. “You have technology that’s not available anywhere else in the world for pediatric spine surgery,” Dell Children’s President Adam Messer said. “You can have care delivered right here close to home and be confident that it’s the best available anywhere.” The technology is positioning Dell Children’s North to become “a destination center for pediatric spine surgery,” said Dr. Kirsten Ross, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Dell Children’s. “The idea … is to elevate the care and the capabilities that are delivered to those northern communities and to put Dell Children’s North on the map as a complex spine center of excellence,” Messer said. Surgeons can use robotic technology to perform minimally invasive surgeries with faster recovery times, allowing doctors to treat more people, said Dr. Thomas Payne, vice president of the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery at St. David’s.
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SOURCE: ST. DAVID'S/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Ascension Texas
• 25,000 robotic procedures performed by Ascension Texas since 2021 Local branch: • Ascension Seton Northwest Hospital • 11113 Research Blvd., Austin
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SOURCE: ASCENSION TEXAS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
• 250 robotic procedures performed at Dell Children’s Central since fiscal year 2023-24 Dell Children’s Local branch: • Dell Children’s Medical Center North Campus • 9010 N. Lake Creek Parkway, Austin
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SOURCE: DELL CHILDREN'S/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Zooming out
How it works
After years of providing robotic surgeries for urology and gynecology, robotic orthopedic spinal surgery is “the new frontier” for Ascension Seton, said Charles Kaczmarek, vice president of surgical services for Ascension Seton. Doctors perform surgery to correct scoliosis by placing screws and rods into a patient’s back, Kaufman said. The VELYS robot completes a 3D scan of a patient’s spine and uses a robotic arm to position the screws. The precision of the robot is crucial as misplacing a screw can result in a spinal cord injury, Kaufman said. “[It allows] us as the surgeons to do this with less force, less variance and more safety, but we are still doing everything,” Kaufman said. The VELYS technology allows Dell Children’s to take on more complex spinal cases, Ross said. Additionally, the robot makes spinal surgeries more efficient and reproducible whereas the outcome of nonrobotic spinal procedures can differ based on the surgeon, she said. Spinal procedures using the VELYS technology, which began June 5, were already booked for six
The implementation of robotic surgical procedures has taken off across the United States. Ascension Seton, Baylor Scott & White and St. David’s HealthCare have expanded robotic surgeries across their hospitals in specialities ranging from general surgery to orthopedics. “[Robotics] is definitely becoming the most dominant way of operating, and it’s definitely the superior way to operate, but we’re just really getting started,” Payne said.
Benefits of robotic surgery
Smaller incisions
Faster recovery time
Reduced risk of blood loss and infections
Lower hospital readmission rate
Lower use of narcotics
SOURCE: BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE, ASCENSION SETON/COMMUNITY IMPACT
By the numbers
More than 750,000 robotic surgeries are performed in the U.S. every year, according to Stony Brook Medicine. Robotic surgeries increased from 1.8% to 15.1% from 2012 to 2018, according to the American College of Surgeons. SOURCE: STONY BROOK MEDICINE AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
weeks out as of mid-May, Ross told Community Impact . “Our goal is to continue to be the leader in the robotics access for the region,” said Dr. Travis Isbell, chair of surgery for Baylor Scott & White. “We want to keep pushing that availability so that we can give the patients all the best options right in front of them.”
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