Surgeon-driven precision at Skagit Regional Health
For some, the words “robotic surgery” may conjure up an image of a robot scrubbing in and asking the surgeon to step aside, but this is far from reality. Instead, the robot serves as a tool for the surgeon to use in order to enhance precision, visibility and safety while performing the procedure.
Robotic-assisted surgery has augmented the capabilities of Skagit Regional Health’s already skilled surgeons. By equipping them with the latest tools and technologies, they perform complex procedures with even greater accuracy and efficiency.
Robotic-assisted surgery has been in use for 30 years. It has evolved and advanced to become the standard of care because it offers significant benefits over traditional surgical techniques: greater precision, smaller incisions and reduced recovery times. The technology has only improved, expanding the range of treatable conditions.
Skagit Regional Health has expanded the use of robotic-assisted technology, ensuring patients receive a high standard of care in our own community.
Navigating critical areas of the head and neck: The StealthStation ENT Navigation System
Everyone’s bodies are different. The StealthStation ENT Navigation System provides image-guided surgery for safe and exact endoscopic surgeries for those critical areas of the sinuses and skull base. The system is used by Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) surgeons to treat complex sinus issues including revision surgery, chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps, nasal tumors or defects of the skull base. It is also used for initial sinus surgery in cases where the anatomy is complex.
“StealthStation allows the surgeon to use the patient’s pre-operative CT scan to verify their position during surgery to an accuracy of as little as 1mm,” explains ENT specialist Christopher England, MD. “This helps to provide safer, faster and more complete surgery.”
Robotic navigation for spine surgery: The Excelsius GPS
The ExcelsiusGPS helps surgeons create a surgical plan based on a patient’s individual anatomy, making surgery much more precise and customized. It also increases safety for sensitive spine surgery and has improved efficiency in the operating room.
“Using the robot can greatly decrease time in the operating room (OR) by 10 to 20 percent,” says spine surgeon R. Dylan Morris, DO. “Less time under anesthesia and a shorter time in the OR is better for the patient.”
Multi-specialty robotic-assisted surgery: The da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical System
The da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical System has proven to be very effective for thoracic/lung cancer, urologic, colorectal, gynecological and general surgeries. Since implementing the first robot in 2018, Skagit Regional Health has trained more surgeons on its use, necessitating the addition of a second robot at Skagit Valley Hospital in 2024.
Skagit Regional Health general surgeon Allison Porter, MD, FACS, said that with the da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical System, “Our surgeons have shortened overall length of stay, case length and have increased utilization of minimally invasive surgical techniques to avoid the need for larger incisions. The end result is less pain and a faster recovery after surgery.”
The da Vinci® has changed the surgical landscape in our community, offering minimally invasive surgery for those patients who are not candidates for traditional laparoscopic surgery.
Accurately diagnosing lung cancer: The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy System
“Lung cancer is usually not symptomatic until it’s very far advanced and not treatable,” says Richard Leone, MD, PhD, FACS, thoracic surgeon at Skagit Regional Health. The Ion allows clinical teams to identify lung masses before they
spread to a point that’s not treatable. “Lung cancer, when we identify it early, is very treatable and very curable,” underscores Dr. Leone.
The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy System is a minimally invasive biopsy tool used to better reach tumors in the lungs
and diagnose lung cancer more accurately. The Ion allows for access to tumors in almost any location in the lung safely, where traditional needle biopsy is limited.
Precise orthopedic surgery: The Smith + Nephew CORI Surgical System
The Smith + Nephew CORI Surgical System is used in orthopedic procedures such as total and partial knee arthroplasty. The surgical platform utilizes software planning tools combined with robotic precision that allows for very fine adjustments to ensure implants are positioned correctly and aligned with the patient’s anatomy.
“The CORI Surgical System allows the orthopedic surgeon to plan a patient's total knee and total hip reconstruction in
three dimensions and optimize implant sizing, placement and the biomechanics of the joint for optimal function1, 2,” says Alexander Willis, MD. “After the planning, it allows for precision execution of the plan so that patients ultimately have the best possible biomechanics and stability in their joints. This has been shown to improve recovery3 and long-term function4.”
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