CMC’s robotics program started nearly five years ago when it purchased the da Vinci Xi and quickly became the second busiest single robot hospital in the United States and the busiest on the East Coast. “That sort of performance is what led Intuitive to say, let’s give this robot to CMC. We’re getting it before all the big academic centers. They know that we can do it, they know that we can do it well, and they know that we’re going to make their company proud,” said Dr. Aaron Epstein, CMC Chief of Surgery, and surgeon at CMC Surgical Associates.

Now, CMC surgeons will have access to two da Vinci robotic systems for minimally invasive surgical procedures including hernia repair, stomach and bowel, gallbladder, intestinal, and colon cancer surgeries, as well as hysterectomies and prostate removal.  

With more than 150 new design innovations, da Vinci 5 expands upon core da Vinci system features, including wristed instruments, 3DHD visualization, intuitive motion, and an ergonomic design. As with all da Vinci surgical systems, the surgeon is 100% in control of the robotic-assisted da Vinci system, which translates their hand movements into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the patient’s body.  

“There’s no autopilot on the robot. This is more like virtual reality. Instead of opening up your body, I put three or four tiny holes in your abdominal cavity and then I slide these miniaturized hands inside your body cavity. The hands are about the size of my pinky fingernail. Then I sit down next to you and through the use of my fingers, my wrists, my forearms, my arms, and various pedals for my feet, I tell those hands what to do using a three-dimensional screen,” explained Dr. Epstein. “Now I can do exceedingly complex operations with miniscule cuts, and that translates into a faster recovery and less pain.”