Much joy was to be had by all involved when Marina Del Rey Hospital became the first in the greater Los Angeles area to perform a highly specialized single-site hysterectomy. For board certified gynecological surgeon Dr. David Ghozland, who performed two procedures on April 28 with the da Vinci™ Si robotic system, the feat is a breakthrough for the medical field as well as for patients.
“On the one hand if you are looking at it from the stand point of a facility or a hospital, you are looking at decreased postoperative complications,” Dr. Ghozland said. “The longer a patient stays in a hospital and the larger their incision, the more risk of infection and the higher the risk of blood clots: these are all complications that we would be able to bypass by simply using very, very small incisions. As far as the patient is concerned a small incision means less postoperative pain, faster recovery and faster back-to-work capabilities.”
In the single-site hysterectomy, the naval is used as the surgical access point, resulting in little to no scarring, and patients are also typically able to go home within 24 hours of surgery. Fewer incisions may speed recovery time, reduce the chance of infection and other surgical complications, and potentially result in less pain for the patient.
“Most important for the patient is the personal empowerment: knowing that she had major surgery, if she were to take of her shirt and wear a bathing suit, she would see almost no scar whatsoever,” Dr. Ghozland said. “As a provider and physician, providing these types of services is very satisfying for me. I was able to do justice in regard to curing her and helping her and knowing that the patient can feel positive about themselves.”
The single-site surgery is performed via the da Vinci™ Si robotic surgery system, a technologically advanced robotic surgical assistance suite that the doctors at Marina Del Rey Hospital have expertly performed surgery with for more than two years.
“Minimally invasive surgery has been around for the last decade and a half and we are constantly trying to push the borders to get to a point where we can offer a minimally invasive-type procedure that offers almost no scaring and a very quick recovery,” Dr. Ghozland said. “That point is quickly approaching as we enter into this new era of single-incision surgeries.”
Dr. Ghozland was trained during his residency in advanced laparoscopic surgery, a modern surgical technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions. Combining his training with the technology of the da Vinci™ Si robotic surgery system will allow Dr. Ghozland to share his expertise outside of the Marina Del Rey Hospital without having to relocate.
“The robotic surgery I had done, in a majority of my cases, where done robotically, more so than most other practicing physicians in the Culver City area and West L.A.,” Dr. Ghozland said. “So I was invited to join a pilot program in order to study the effect and techniques of single-incision hysterectomies. That pilot is still ongoing and hopefully we will be able to show other surgeons how to do this by the fall.”
Surgeons at Marina Del Rey Hospital are trained to perform single-site cholecystectomy procedures. The hospital was the first in the area to offer the single-site cholecystectomy beginning in February 2013. With this robotically assisted surgery system, all necessary instruments are incorporated into one assembly, easing the way for the doctor to perform procedures with better visibility and dexterity. The surgeon manipulates the instruments while seated at a console, using controls that allow for intuitive, precise motions.
“The facility is dedicated to the advancement of minimally invasive surgery for women and it has gone through great lengths to provide the best equipment and staff in order to facilitate these kinds of surgeries and allowing surgeons like myself to perform these safely,” Dr. Ghozland said.