da Vinci Robotic Surgery

Manatee Memorial Hospital is the first in Manatee County to offer minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery using the da Vinci® Surgical System robot.

Developed by Intuitive Surgical, the da Vinci® robot provides the look and feel of traditional “open” surgery, while minimizing risk of infection by eliminating the need for a long incision, thereby speeding recovery.

How Does It Work?

During surgery, the surgeon makes a series of three tiny incisions (ports for instruments) in the body through which the da Vinci® robotic arms are inserted. The three robotic arms are inserted through the ports. One of the arms is a tiny video camera and the other two hold surgical instruments. Sitting at a computer console located about ten feet from the operating table, the surgeon views a three-dimensional image from inside the patient’s body. From the console, the surgeon controls the robotic arms that are inside the patient.

Surgeons at Manatee Memorial use the da Vinci® robot to perform minimally invasive prostatectomies, hysterectomies and other gynecological and oncological procedures.