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NEWARK, NJ - Newark Beth Israel Medical Center today announced the opening of its new Robotic Training Center, a state-of-the-art facility where surgeons from around the world are undergoing training in advanced robotic-assisted surgical techniques using the da Vinci© S™ Surgical System. New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs is scheduled to attend the grand opening on Aug. 15th at 11a.m in the Medical Center's Danzis Auditorium.
Named as one of the 2005 Solucient 100 Top Hospitals Performance Improvement Leaders, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, is a 673-bed tertiary care teaching hospital recognized for its expertise in robotic surgery. Physicians at Newark Beth Israel perform robotic surgery in more specialties than any other facility in the nation, including adult cardiac, adult urology, pediatric urology, gynecology, gynecologic oncology and general surgery. With the opening of the new Center, the hospital is now the only facility in the Eastern United States and one of only three in the country to offer such comprehensive training.
"Four years ago we started using the da Vinci robot exclusively for cardiac cases. Since that time, we've expanded to seven specialties, with plans to add three more by the end of the year," said Paul A. Mertz, Executive Director of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. "The benefits are clear for everyone: patients who undergo robotic-assisted surgery experience less bleeding, pain, and scarring, as well as reduced recovery times."
When the da Vinci© S™ Surgical System was subsequently approved for additional uses by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Newark Beth Israel surgeons in various specialties expressed interest in learning how to use it, and were sent for training. "As a result of our commitment to develop this program, robotic surgery volume at Newark Beth Israel has increased dramatically. We now have three da Vinci surgical systems to respond to the demand," Mr. Mertz said.
The da Vinci© S™ Surgical System gives surgeons the control, range of motion and 3-D visualization that is characteristic of open surgery. Robotic-assisted surgery incorporates techniques that allow the surgeon to operate through several small incisions about the size of a dime. In the operating room, the surgeon sits at the console with his hands on the master controls and his eyes on a 3-D image of the surgical field. From the patient-side cart, four robotic arms and one endoscope arm precisely translate the surgeon's movements through small incisions in the patient.
The opening of Newark Beth Israel's training center demonstrates the depth of its robotic surgery program, and the medical community's growing interest in robotic-assisted surgery. "The success of the da Vinci System is a clear example of how technology is advancing improved patient care," said Dennis Bordan, MD, Chairman of Surgery at Newark Beth Israel. "It is truly exciting for our institution to be at the forefront of such an important advance in minimally invasive surgery. We look forward to sharing our expertise."
To learn more about the Robotic Training Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, contact Suzanne Santangelo, Director of Public Relations, at (973) 926-7175. For more information about robotic surgery performed at Newark Beth Israel, visit www.thebethrobot.com.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is a 673-bed regional referral
teaching hospital with clinical programs including robotic surgery,
cardiac transplantation, renal and pancreas transplantation, adult
and pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, hematology/oncology
and maternal/child care. Newark Beth Israel is the site of Children's
Hospital of New Jersey and the Saint Barnabas Heart Center at Newark
Beth Israel.
Date: August 2006
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