Northside Hospital Healthcare System recently announced the introduction of three advanced robotic surgery technologies: The Magellan Robotic System, the da Vinci Xi Surgical System and the MAKOplasty surgical arm.
Northside Hospital is the first healthcare institution in the state of Georgia to utilize the Magellan Robotic System. The Magellan Robotic System, designed to perform a myriad of minimally invasive endovascular procedures, will be available at both the Atlanta and Forsyth campuses.
“This technology will grant an unprecedented level of precision to Northside vascular surgeons navigating the extremely complex anatomy of peripheral blood vessels,” said Dr. Joseph Ricotta, chair of vascular surgery & endovascular therapy at Northside Vascular Surgery, medical director of vascular services, Northside Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute and the lead Northside physician for the procedure.
The Magellan Robotic System is able to robotically shape endovascular catheters during the procedure, so that a single catheter may be used instead of exchanging for various pre-shaped catheters during the procedure. Magellan Robotic Catheters can rotate 360 degrees, and bend 180 degrees in any direction. This may lead to fewer catheter exchanges during the procedure, more predictable procedure times and may help facilitate navigation through very complex anatomy, potentially leading to less radiation and contrast exposure, making the procedure safer for the patient.
Magellan allows doctors more control and precision while navigating catheters through small blood vessels in complex vascular procedures. This leads to higher procedural success rates and enables more patients to be treated by less invasive endovascular methods rather than open surgery.
The da Vinci Xi Surgical System, the latest version of the da Vinci robot, is already being utilized for complex procedures like partial nephrectomy (kidney removal). Dr. Scott Miller performed the first surgery with this device in Georgia on October 1. The Xi is the newest iteration of the robotic system and comes with a whole suite of improved patient outcomes. The Xi provides multiple benefits like better visualization and multi-quadrant access (a boom overhead that gives the surgical team more room around the patient).
The MAKOplasty procedure at Northside Hospital-Forsyth has helped improve the surgical outcomes of patients requiring hip and partial knee replacements. Through 3D models, motion capture and real-time virtual views of the patient’s anatomy, doctors are able to provide more accurate fittings and ensure that post-procedure pain is reduced significantly for patients.
“MAKOplasty provides hip and partial knee replacement patients that qualify with a more appealing solution,” said Dr. Jon Minter, orthopaedic surgeon at Northside Total Joint Specialists and lead MAKOplasty physician. “The system allows surgeons to fine-tune the implant’s positioning and shape, making the most accurate joint replacements available and increasing patients’ mobility faster than ever before.”
