February 22, 2008
St. Luke’s performs da Vinci® surgery




St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital is among only a handful of facilities across the country to offer this state-of-the-art, robotic minimally-invasive surgical procedure, which can result in faster recovery and less pain & scarring

The Woodlands, TX – St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital (SLTWH) has recently marked its first surgery using the da Vinci® Surgical System.

Through this state-of-the-art system, St. Luke’s surgeons are now performing robotic minimally-invasive surgery.  St. Luke’s is among only a handful of facilities across the country offering this procedure.

Gynecologic oncologist Christine M. Lee, MD, was the first physician at St. Luke’s to use the system when she recently performed a hysterectomy.  That surgery was followed by a prostatectomy performed by urologist Steven W. Sukin, MD, and a salphingoophorectomy (removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes) by obstetrician/gynecologist Patricia E. Laden, MD.

Using the da Vinci® Surgical System, the surgeon operates while seated comfortably at a console viewing a 3D image of the surgical field. The surgeon's fingers grasp the master controls below the display, with hands and wrists naturally positioned relative to his or her eyes. The system seamlessly translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise, real-time movements of surgical instruments inside the patient.

Many surgical procedures performed today using standard laparoscopic techniques may be performed more quickly and easily using the da Vinci® Surgical System. This is because the da Vinci® Surgical System delivers increased clinical capability while maintaining the same look and feel of open surgery.

The patient benefits from this enhanced platform for minimally-invasive surgery may include a shorter hospital stay, less pain, faster recovery, less risk of infection, less blood loss, fewer transfusions, less scarring, and quicker return to normal daily activities.

Debra Sukin, chief executive officer of St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital and vice president, St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, said, “We are thrilled to announce the availability of the da Vinci® Surgical System here at St. Luke’s.  We know that there is a general preference among our patients for minimally invasive surgical procedures when at all possible, and we are proud to have our surgical staff confidently utilizing such an advanced level of technology.

“Furthermore, by enhancing our surgical capabilities, the da Vinci® Surgical System helps to further improve our clinical outcomes and underscores our excellence in quality of care.”

St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital is located at 17200 St. Luke’s Way in The Woodlands, at the southwest corner of SH 242 and I-45.  For more information, please call (936) 266-2000.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System comprises the flagship St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital, opened in 2003; St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted exclusively to assessing and enhancing community health, not just for ill-care but for lifelong health and well-being; and Kelsey-Seybold Management, LLP, overseeing 21 area clinic locations. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart® Institute, founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and consistently ranked among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the nation by U.S.News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and two medical schools, it serves as the primary adult teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine. St. Luke’s was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, and the Health System has been recognized by FORTUNE as among the “100 Best Companies to Work For” (2002 and 2004) and by Houston Business Journal as the top healthcare employer in Houston for three consecutive years.