Gundersen St. Joseph’s hosts “Breakfast with the Robots”

In October, Gundersen St. Joseph’s announced the addition of a Da Vinci Xi robotic surgery system for use in general and gynecological surgery procedures. The new system is one of two robotic systems now in use at Hillsboro hospital, and St. Joe’s is giving the community the chance to get up close and personal with them at a free breakfast on Thursday, November 21, 8-10 a.m. at the hospital community rooms.

“We are so excited to have this type of high-precision, state-of-the-art surgical technology available in our community,” says Kristie McCoic, administrator at Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital and Clinics. “Our system is committed to keeping care close to home and this exciting addition brings the same technology used in our La Crosse hospital to Hillsboro. This is fascinating technology and we’re inviting the community to come and check it out!”

The event is being hosted in conjunction with National Rural Health Day – a day to celebrate the power of rural healthcare systems and their dedication to addressing the unique healthcare needs of rural America.

Community members will be treated to a free breakfast, see the robotic system up close, and even sit in the surgeon’s console to experience the high level of surgical precision provided to surgeons by the new system.

“The system allows for even greater control and precision when performing surgery,” says Layne Hammer, RN, manager of specialty and surgery at Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital and Clinics. “We describe this new service as robotic assisted because the surgeon is still controlling the robot from within the operating room.”

“There’s two main pieces to the system. One is a “patient cart” which sits over the patient and has four “arms” which house a broad range of precision tools, scopes, and instruments for a large variety of surgical procedures. The second piece is a “surgeon console” where the surgeon is seated. The surgeon controls the patient cart from the console using crystal clear, magnified 3DHD visioning. This provides the surgeon with greater control and an enhanced view of the surgical site, resulting in better surgical outcomes for patients.”