St. Joseph’s/Candler: The region’s leader in da Vinci robotic surgery

With the addition of a sixth da Vinci Xi Surgical System coming in March 2024, SJ/C leads the region in robotic surgery

In March 2024, St. Joseph’s/Candler will obtain its sixth da Vinci Xi surgical robot, making us the region’s leader and most experienced health system in robotic surgery, performing more than 14,000 robotic surgeries since the program’s inception in November 2007.

What does that mean for you?

“The da Vinci robot provides many additional benefits to patients including quicker recovery and less bleeding, with great outcomes, so they are able to go home sooner. It really creates a much better patient experience overall, if the patient is a good candidate,” says Erica Miller, director of surgical services for St. Joseph’s/Candler.

“Before the robot, it was either open surgery or laparoscopic. Now that we have this additional 3D robot, patients have three different options for surgery. It is really another instrument, another tool for a successful surgery.”

Our co-workers who work in da Vinci operating rooms also take the success of your surgery very seriously. To ensure patients are getting the best care, a majority do extra training specifically on da Vinci to have a better understanding of the robot and how to best take care of patients. After passing a test, they then become certified on the da Vinci robot.

At St. Joseph’s Hospital, 42 of our nurses and techs are certified, and at Candler Hospital, where we do the majority of robotic surgeries, 57 co-workers are certified. That also gives us the most experienced and highly-trained staff in the region.

“Our co-workers who work in the robotic operating rooms are some of the most experienced staff we have employed,” says Emily Heino, operating room manager at Candler Hospital. “That with the additional da Vinci certification I think means we are doing great work for our patients’ successful outcomes.”

How da Vinci Xi works

The da Vinci robot uses sophisticated computer-aided equipment which allows the surgeon to have the benefit of magnified views of regular laparoscopic surgery while retaining the three-dimensional view of traditional open surgery – and all in high definition. This enhanced view allows the surgeon to see structures and tissues that might not otherwise be seen.

During surgery, the surgeon sits at a console where his or her hands are placed into glove-like controllers, called masters, which are used to manipulate the robotic surgical EndoWrist instruments. The on-board computer replicates the surgeon’s movements precisely and to scale.

“For the patient, robotic surgery decreases your length of stay because it’s less invasive and there’s less bleeding,” Heino says.

“Typically, these procedures would require a few nights in the hospital, but with robotic surgery, most of the time, the patient goes home the same day or next day, so their recovery is significantly quicker,” adds Miller.

Related Article: What is robot-assisted surgery? 

More about what we do here at St. Joseph’s/Candler

St. Joseph’s/Candler was the first in the region to receive the da Vinci Surgical System in November 2007. Since then, we’ve performed more than 14,000 da Vinci surgeries, doing more and more each year.

“We see significant growth in robotic surgery year after year,” Miller says. “Now with the largest fleet in Georgia outside of Atlanta, I’d say we are the leader, especially in this region, in robotic surgery.”

As mentioned, St. Joseph’s/Candler is about to add its sixth da Vinci Xi surgical system. There will be four robots at Candler Hospital and one each at St. Joseph’s Hospital and our Pooler campus. We have 22 surgeons on our medical staff that are trained on and utilize da Vinci. You can learn about some of them here.

We have five main service lines, or types of surgeries, that our physicians perform – urology, thoracic, GYN oncology, benign GYN and general (hernia repairs, gallbladders, etc.), All service lines are performed at Candler Hospital with its soon-to-be four robots, which accounts for 80 percent of all our robotic surgeries, Miller says. At St. Joseph’s Hospital, the robot is used to perform general and thoracic surgeries, and at Pooler, da Vinci is used two days a week for general surgery.

If you or a loved one are facing surgery that can be done via the da Vinci Surgical System, it’s worth talking to your doctor about this surgical option. But keep in mind, not everyone is a candidate for robotic surgery.

“Robotics are being marketed in a lot of different service lines, not just surgery,” Miller says. “I think patients are starting to ask for it and seek out robotic surgeons because it’s expected and most of the time what’s best for them”

Learn more about da Vinci and the individual services lines here.