St. Joseph's surgical services use the latest technology, offering a full range of procedures to patients across a 16-county area of Upstate New York.

The da Vinci surgical system is commonly referred to as a robot, but the device is actually controlled by the surgeon. It offers direct 3-D visualization, full range of motion and an intuitive sense of control for surgeons. For example, during a prostatectomy, surgeons sit at a console and maneuver surgical instruments held by daVinci's robotic arms, inserting them into incisions in the patient's abdomen. The robotic arms offer the ability to rotate instruments more than 360 degrees through tiny incisions, extending the surgeon's ability to repetitively perform the technically precise maneuvers involved with minimally-invasive cardiac and gynecological procedures, as well as prostatectomies.

According to surgeons, robot-assisted prostatectomy is less invasive for the patient and is more precise than traditional surgery, resulting in fewer complications, less pain and blood loss. The da Vinci cameras give the surgical team a larger-than-life view of the surgical field, helping them to better make their way around the many structures and nerves. The da Vinci surgical system makes many types of surgeries much safer for patients who often experience shorter hospital stays and recovery times.

da Vinci® Cardiothoracic Surgery		da Vinci® General Surgery
da Vinci® Gynecologic Surgery		da Vinci® Urologic Surgery

da Vinci® Urologic Surgery The first to acquire and use the da Vinci robotic surgical system to perform prostatectomies, St. Joseph's urology specialists performed 170 cases in 2008 alone.