St John of God Geelong Hospital celebrates robotic assisted surgery milestone
19 May 2021
The 1000th procedure, a robotically assisted hysterectomy, was completed by St John of God Geelong Hospital Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Saj Rathnayake who specialises in offering minimally invasive, robotic-assisted gynaecological procedures.
“The da Vinci robot is an amazing surgical tool, allowing us to offer precision surgeries which dramatically reduce the time a patient stays in the hospital and their pain after a procedure,” Dr Rathnayake said.
Geelong general practitioners can refer their patients to any of the specialists who work at St John of God Geelong Hospital if they think their patient would benefit from a specialist review, and potentially robotic-assisted surgery. Specialists assess each patient individually to determine the best treatment option, including robotic-assisted surgery, to help improve their outcomes.
St John of God Geelong Hospital Chief Executive Officer Stephen Roberts said the milestone reflected the hospital’s commitment to offering the Geelong community access to the latest technology and innovations close to home.
“We are proud to see so many patients benefit from access to robotic surgery at our hospital,” Mr Roberts said.
“Reaching this milestone is a great opportunity to celebrate the expertise and experience of our surgeons who use this technology to offer the best possible patient outcomes.”
The surgical robot, the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, has been used for a wide range of procedures including urological, gynaecological, ear, nose and throat and thoracic surgeries.
Through the da Vinci XI Surgical System, surgeons are able to offer minimally invasive surgeries, which offers patients the benefits of reduced recovery time in hospital and at home, and reduced pain.
“St John of God Geelong Hospital has long been recognised as a surgical centre of excellence and is dedicated to delivering the safest possible program of the highest quality to its patients and this is a significant milestone in robotic surgery” Mr Roberts said.
GPs and members of the Geelong community can visit Find a Specialist to learn more about our specialists.
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