Robotic Surgery Facilities
Swedish's commitment to robotic surgery includes state-of-the-art equipment and operating rooms. We have seven daVinci robotic systems, and currently perform procedures at our First Hill, Edmonds and Issaquah locations.
The robotic systems include the surgeon's console, a patient-side cart with four interactive robotic arms, and a high-performance, 3-D, high-definition vision system. Flexible, wrist-like instruments allow surgeons to work more precisely than ever before possible.
Integrated Surgical Suites
Sharing Knowledge
Better for Surgeons - and for Patients
In the video below, Dr. James Porter gives you a tour of Swedish's integrated robotic surgical suite.
Integrated Surgical Suites
In 2009, Swedish built the world's first integrated suite of its kind on our First Hill campus. To meet growing demands, we opened a second suite on First Hill in 2011. In designing these suites, Swedish helped establish best practices for safety and security.
Key features include:
- All wiring and computer cables are hard-wired into the floor and ceiling, creating an obstacle-free operating environment
- The daVinci Si VisionBoom - a ceiling-mounted pole that holds video components to free up floor space in the operating room
- Dual consoles allow two surgeons to collaborate on complex procedures - and provide an excellent training tool for physicians learning new robotic techniques
- Audio and visual equipment that gives surgeons – with signed patient consent – the ability to broadcast live surgeries to symposiums and training sessions across the country
For the convenience of patients on the Eastside, Swedish’s Issaquah campus also features a fully integrated robotic operating suite.
Sharing Knowledge
When surgeons at Swedish began doing robotic surgery in 2005, they were among the few in the Northwest to do so. To date, more than 4,000 robotic procedures have been performed here, making Swedish the most experienced in the Northwest.
Our surgeons freely share their knowledge with other robotic surgeons. They lecture locally, regionally and nationally and have performed multiple live robotic procedures for national and international symposiums.
Surgeons from across the country - and around the world - also come to Swedish to observe and learn our robotic techniques.
A large wall of windows separates the integrated OR from an observation room where visiting surgeons can watch every step of a procedure. A boom-mounted camera integrated into one of the surgical lights. This camera shows observers where incisions are made and how ports and instruments are placed in the body.
An HD screen shows what's happening inside the body. In addition, an intercom system allows the surgeon to communicate with observers.
These enhancements allow observing surgeons to clearly see what's happening, without bringing additional physicians into the operating room, which would increase the risk of infection.
Better for Surgeons - and for Patients
For a growing number of procedures, robotic surgery is replacing open-incision surgery.
Direct benefits to patients include:
- Shorter hospital stays
- Less pain after surgery
- Faster recovery times
- Minimal scarring
- Less risk of post-surgical infection
The daVinci Surgical System also provides surgeons with numerous improvements over conventional laparoscopy. With laparoscopy, surgeons use long-handled instruments inserted through small incisions to manipulate surgical instruments. During a laparoscopic procedure, surgeons view the inside of the patient’s body on a flat-screen monitor.
In comparison to laparoscopy, robotic-assisted surgery offers:
- Better visibility through camera magnification
- Better visibility via three-dimensional and high-definition viewing
- Instruments with more degrees of freedom of movement - they can move more ways in space than standard laparoscopy instruments
- Elimination of a surgeon's hand tremor - so movements are more fluid and smooth
- More instrument precision, resulting in less trauma to the tissues and faster healing