New Surgeons Excited for Newsest Technology

In 2022, an incredible display of donor support helped bring the da Vinci Surgical System to Lakeridge Health Oshawa.

Since then, our talented surgical team and our surgical robot “Optimus” have helped enhance care for patients throughout Durham Region and beyond.

After the first robotic procedure was performed in April 2023, more than 450 surgeries have taken place since then.

The surgical robot has significantly enhanced patient care at Lakeridge Health. In addition to providing patients with a safer experience and higher quality of care, there is a lower risk of infection, and Hospital stays are shorter.

In addition to the arrival of this revolutionary equipment, donor support also helped fund key technology that has enabled our Surgical Department to expand the range of procedures available to patients.

This includes the ARIETTA 850 Ultrasound Machine – a specialized imaging device with a small ultrasound probe specifically designed for use with the da Vinci Xi Surgical System.

“The robotic ultrasound unit is instrumental in our ability to provide high-quality care to patients undergoing robotic surgery for kidney cancer,” explains Dr. Ernest Chan, Urologist. “We cannot safely and reliably perform robotic partial nephrectomies without it.”

“Having the ultrasound at Lakeridge Health means that patients with complex kidney tumours that would benefit from this procedure can have their care closer to home, where they would have previously been referred to Toronto for their surgery.”

Dr. Ernest Chan and Dr. Samir Sami are robotically trained Urologists who joined Lakeridge Health following the arrival of the da Vinci Surgical System.

A partial nephrectomy is a procedure that removes a cancerous tumour from the kidney while keeping the rest of the kidney intact. The probe has a specifically designed handle that can be grasped and positioned by the da Vinci surgical instruments. This allows for the visualization of the tumour's borders, evaluation of how deep the tumour invades into the kidney, and monitoring the blood flow in and out of the kidney in real-time during our surgery.

“The unit provides real-time imaging of the kidney and its blood supply,” Dr. Sami says. “The probe is placed into the abdomen through our laparoscopic ports and helps us confirm the location of kidney tumours or find tumours that are not readily identifiable. Once the location is confirmed, the probe allows us to determine where and how deep to incise the kidney in order to remove the whole tumour without compromising the kidney, removing excessive kidney tissue, or leaving any cancer behind.”

Since acquiring the ultrasound, six robotic partial nephrectomies have been performed at Lakeridge Health. Our Urology Team hopes to perform at least twenty robotic partial nephrectomies annually.

“Not only does the ultrasound unit improve our ability to perform the surgery, but the quality of surgery and postoperative outcomes are also improved,” explains Dr. Chan. “The ultrasound gives us greater confidence that we have removed the entire tumour, reduces blood loss at the time of surgery, and preserves kidney tissue, making patients less likely to develop chronic kidney disease in the long run. The robotic approach typically results in a 24-hour stay in the hospital, which is much shorter than the five to seven-day stay that often follows a partial nephrectomy performed through a traditional open incision.”

Thanks to donor support, we are equipping medical experts like Dr. Chan and Dr. Sami with the tools they need to provide exceptional care to our community.