Beckley ARH Hospital gets a DaVinci Surgical System

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The Beckley ARH Hospital added a new medical masterpiece to its collection. The local hospital just purchased a state-of-the-art DaVinci Surgical System.

Leonardo DaVinci is best known for his art, but he was also one of the greatest anatomists of all time. The DaVinci Surgical System is a state-of-the art medical device that lets doctors get a 3D view inside the body and perform surgery.

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The device is a multi-armed robot operated by a trained medical professional who sits just feet away from the patient undergoing the procedure.

Beckley ARH Operating Room Director, Melanie Overton, says the benefits of the device are abundant.

“It allows surgeons to do minimally invasive procedures,” said Overton. “They can see better visualization. It’s a great thing for our patients. They recover quicker. Their pain is not as much minimal scarring, very minimal blood, blood transfusions because there’s no blood loss, but, most importantly, it allows the surgeon to see areas that he wouldn’t typically see in a laparoscopic procedure. So he can be more exact in what he’s doing.”

The DaVinci has four arms that are then connected to small surgical instruments including a 3D camera that are controlled remotely via hand controllers and pedals.

Joseph Foster, a Beckley ARH registered nurse, is trained to operate the DaVinci and says it can be used in a variety of procedures.

“Different procedures you can do with a multitude of hernias, whether that’s inguinal or umbilical hernias, you can get your appendix taken out with them and also your gallbladder. There are endless opportunities for the robot,” said Foster.

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