<p>Dr. John Francis<br /></p>
A new upgrade to the area’s only da Vinci robotic surgery system at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health in Lafayette, called the EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer, gives Lafayette area surgeons full control of vessel sealing.
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Lafayette East was the first in the state to install the additional technology upgraded into the da Vinci system, and
Dr. John Francis was the first general surgeon in Indiana to use the technology with a surgery on Sept. 14., 2012. Less than 10% of hospitals use the EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer.
“With the da Vinci robotic assistant and now the EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer, this will enable more surgeons and opens the door to more specialties to deliver the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to their patients,” said Dr. Francis.
“I can tell you the Vessel Sealer will single-handedly revolutionize robotic-assisted surgery with the ease and safety it brings to doing laparoscopic
nissen fundoplications and
colon resections. This tool alone will bring more surgeons on-board with the da Vinci system than all the other products combined.”
Dr. Francis is one of
eleven Lafayette surgeons trained to use the da Vinci.
Intuitive Surgical Inc., the manufacturer of the da Vinci surgery robot, announced FDA approval for the EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer in January 2012.
The EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer is a wristed, single-use instrument intended for bipolar coagulation and mechanical transection of vessels up to 7 mm in diameter and tissue bundles that fit in the jaws of the instrument. The EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer enables da Vinci Si surgeons to fully control vessel sealing, while providing the benefits of da Vinci Surgery – enhanced surgical precision, control and stability and 3D HD visualization.
The upgrade improves the vision, control, precision and functionality of the da Vinci and enables a more scalable approach for vessels. This decreases the amount of damage to tissue and surrounding structures during a surgery, as well as decreases the amount of blood being lost during a surgery.
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health celebrated its 500th da Vinci surgery in 2012. As of Sept. 14, they have conducted 601 surgeries with the da Vinci.
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health has the area’s only da Vinci robotic surgery system. A wide range of robotic-assisted surgeries are now available to treat various conditions including cancer, endometrosis, urological conditions, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and gynecological health. For more information or to find a doctor, visit
www.ste.org/davinci.