Bartlett Regional Hospital’s exciting, new addition may be a robot, but it’s going to mean a world of difference for the humans in Juneau’s hospital.
The hospital recently acquired a Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery System, a leading-edge Robotic-assisted surgery technology that allows for minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery, which has been greeted by hospital staff with fanfare and excitement.
Eugene Rehfield, 10, controls the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery System as he attempts to unwrap a Starburst while attending the open house celebration of the machine at the Bartlett Regional Hospital lobby Monday evening. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
“This is going to revolutionize the surgery we offer here in Juneau — we’re going to be able to reclaim our title as a regional medical center,” said Dr. Nicholas Newbury, Bartlett’s chief of surgery, “By offering state-of-the-art surgical instruments, we’re going to be able to recruit the best and newest surgeons who are at the highest strength.”
On Monday, members of the public were invited to the hospital lobby to chat with surgeons, take a look at the new machine and even give it a test “surgery” unwrapping candy or cutting out a paper snowflake by using the machine’s controls.
Cindy Spica, a private robotic consultant who traveled to Juneau to assist Bartlett Regional Hospital in preparing to use the new machine, smiles at a snowflake made by Thunder Mountain High School junior and exchange student from Brazil, Ana Scopel, using the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery System. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Newbury said since joining Bartlett seven years ago, he’s been wanting to see the hospital adopt robotic-assisted surgery technology. Now that it’s a reality, he said it will give the Bartlett surgeons the tools to do “some of the most complicated surgeries.”
Residents and Bartlett Regional Hospital officials surround the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery System on display at the hospital’s lobby during an open house even for the machine Monday evening. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Newbury is one of the three surgeons at Bartlett that have been certified to control the machine, alongside Dr. Emily Rosenfeld and Dr. Chadwick Densley with Juneau OB-GYN.
Since the hospital acquired the machine and the surgeons began training in March, the team has successfully completed five surgeries to date and six more surgeries are already scheduled for May.
The team has been able to provide advanced pelvic and reconstructive surgery with the robot, and Newbury said other surgical specialties will also be able to use the robot for other advanced and complicated procedures in the future.
Rosenfeld, who did most of her residency training using the robot, said the robot will improve the recovery and outcome of patients who receive surgery with the machine, as it can be significantly less invasive than open incision surgery.
She said it will also allow people to get the care they need in Juneau, instead of having to fly to Anchorage or Seattle to receive care.
“What’s really exciting is we will be able to do surgeries in town and we’ll be able to provide much better care for our patients here in Southeast Alaska,” she said. “I think another thing that is exciting is we will be able to recruit young surgeon talents into Juneau, and other specialties that use this other than OB-GYN, so the capability of the other specialties operating on it will only add to the level of care.”
Juneau-Douglas High School:Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore and robotics team member Carson Carrlee learns how to control the Da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery System with help from Cindy Spica, a private robotic consultant who traveled to Juneau to assist Bartlett Regional Hospital in preparing to use the new machine. The pair were of the dozens of residents that attended the open house event for the machine at the Bartlett Regional Hospital lobby Monday evening. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
According to the hospital’s chief financial officer Sam Muse, the lease for the machine will last five years and cost the hospital $2 million, which equates to around $400,000 per year. He said that cost is expected to be covered by the revenue made from the machine, and will be pulled from the hospital’s general funds.
After the five years go by, he said the hospital will likely reaccess if it is a better option to end the lease or purchase the machine. He said it’s difficult to say what route the hospital will take, as technology will likely be more advanced in five years and the hospital may look to acquire a more advanced model in the future.
Of the crowd that filled the hospital lobby Monday evening were members of the Juneau-Douglas High School:Yadaa.at Kalé robotics team.
Sophomore team member Carson Carrlee and freshman James Rosson both tried their hand at removing the wrapper of a Starburst candy while controlling the machine.
Carrlee said he is interested in pursuing robotics professionally after high school and said using the machine was “really cool” and gave him some insight to what his future might look like.
Rosson agreed, saying “It’s a dream” to be able to try out the equipment.
Justine Muench, former director of the critical care unit and cardiac rehabilitation unit at Bartlett said she is “so proud” to see the hospital take the step to acquire the machine.
“It’s necessary for Juneau to have what’s needed to do surgery — it opens up so many possibilities,” she said. “I am just so glad and I think it will be a huge breakthrough for Juneau people.”
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807.
