Kishwaukee Hospital Acquires Precision Surgical Robot

Northern Public Radio

Published August 9, 2019 at 5:28 PM CDT

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The da Vinci robot is hooked up to a test rig where Dr. Soares can practice using its instruments.

Chase Cavanaugh

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Operating room staff adjust the robot so that it has the proper instruments for the practice surgery

Chase Cavanaugh

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The robotic arms protrude through holes in the "practice patient" and can manipulate small objects within.

Chase Cavanaugh

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Dr. Soares sits at the robot's control station. He's looking into a 3d camera, which projects a view from one of the robot's arms. The handles he's gripping allow for fine-tuned movement of the robotic arms.

Chase Cavanaugh.

Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital has just acquired a precision surgical robot.

Known as a da Vinci, it consists of multiple arms equipped with different instruments for surgery, such as scissors and forceps. Dr. Ricardo Soares was trained on the system, and said using it takes more time than a conventional surgery. But he said the robot can allow for a procedure that doesn’t require as much time for recovery.

“The scale of work is way more precise," Soares said. "I’ll be on that console and every movement I do will be translated to a scale ten times smaller on the robot.”

Dr. Soares will use the machine to treat kidney tumors and remove prostate glands that have been affected by cancer. The gynecology department has also expressed interest in its precision. Northwestern Medicine officials add that having the da Vinci robot in DeKalb means patients won’t have to travel into the suburbs for these major surgeries.