Yakima, WASH.--A robot has been catching people's attention at the Central Washington State Fair. The Da Vinci Surgical System is changing the face of health care.
Surgeons use the Da Vinci System to perform open surgeries like hysterectomies and gallbladder removals.
Doctors will control two instruments through a console.
The instruments have the dexterity of human hands, but give surgeons far greater motion than their hands ever could. It also helps steady any shakiness.
Staff at Regional Hospital said using the Da Vinci helps minimize invasive surgery, and in turn, reduces patients recovery time.
Lindy Bullard, a Registered Nurse at Regional Hospital, said, "I talked with patients afterwards. They've had no pain whatsoever so they're using a lot less narcotics in their post-operative pain management."
Staff said the Da Vinci System also reduces blood loss.
The screen that the surgeon looks through is 3-dimensional, giving surgeons high definition vision. They can check underneath the tissue layers for any internal bleeding.
Regional Hospital got the Da Vinci a little over a year ago.
There are no more than 40 Da Vinci Systems in the state and 1,600 in the entire nation.
