Robotic-assisted treatment for hernias

June 04, 2019
Alfredo C. Cordova, MD, FACS and patient John Dembiec

Manatee Memorial Hospital recently acquired the Da Vinci® XI Surgical System, which advances minimally invasive care for a number of surgical procedures, including hernia repair.

This new technology can enable greater precision and provide benefits such as lower risk of infection, shorter hospital stays, reduced trauma to the body, less blood loss and quicker recovery.

With robotic-assisted surgery, the surgeon sits at a console next to the patient and controls tiny instruments that are inserted into the body through small incisions. The da Vinci Xi is equipped with expanded features – such as wristed instruments that bend and rotate with greater range of motion than the human hand, and enhanced 3D-HD visualization to provide magnified views inside the body.

For John Dembiec, a professional dancer and instructor, a robotic-assisted procedure performed by surgeon Alfredo C. Cordova, MD, FACS, offered a less invasive treatment alternative when pain from a recurrent abdominal hernia began holding him back. “Every time I tried to work out my core, I felt a burning and tearing,” he recalls of the symptoms he was experiencing.

He explains that he had three little incisions and was able to go home the same day of his procedure. Moving in certain positions was painful at first, but that pain subsided and he gradually worked back to his routine, carefully following his doctor’s instructions and being mindful not to overdo it. He’s now dancing again and hopes to get back to top dancing form as his recovery continues to progress. “The healing process has been good,” he says. “Everything has been like clockwork.”

Robotic-assisted surgery is offered at both Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center for various minimally invasive surgical procedures.

In celebration of Men's Health Month

Surgeons on staff at Manatee Memorial Hospital will provide FREE Hernia Screenings on Saturday, June 29, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Manatee Memorial Hospital Tower Auditorium, 206 Second St. East, Bradenton, FL 34208. Screenings will be provided on a first come, first served basis until 1 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. For information, call 941-745-7514.

At the screening session, attendees will be able to see the da Vinci Xi Surgical System up close. In addition to hernia repair, this technology may be used in minimally invasive procedures in areas of gynecology, urology, thoracic, head, neck, sleep apnea and general surgery.