The Courier-Post recently published an article about robotic surgery and the medical advancements it has made in treating patients with minimal to no pain. Initially used in cardiovascular procedures, the robotic-assisted surgery can be used for urologic, cardiac, gynecologic, gastrointestinal and other general surgical applications.
Cooper, one of the only hospital in the region performing robotic assisted heart surgery, is able to better customize treatment options for patients because of the high skill, high technology available in the new operating suites including the new hybrid operating room.
A Cooper patient, Samuel Sheerba of Willingboro, 73, with major artery blockages, had life-saving heart surgery at Cooper, just in the nick of time. Now, Sheerba, a retired Rohm and Haas scientist with two dozen patents to his credit, is on a regular exercise regimen and gets to the golf course whenever he can.
The article also discussed Cooper’s unique hybrid operating room.
A hybrid operating room concept gives Cooper’s surgeons the ability to perform open surgery and minimally invasive endovascular procedures on the same patient at the same time, taking away the delay and infection risk of being transported to other areas of the hospital for related procedures and studies.
The hybrid OR, developed by Siemens Medical, is being used for endovascular repair of abdominal aneurysms, thoracic aortic dissections and stenting.
“We’re able to look at procedures and customize surgeries for our patients like never before,” observes Dr. Richard Highbloom, cardiothoracic surgeon at Cooper University Hospital. He adds that helping patients to drive, be more mobile and enjoy life in general sooner is always a primary goal.