Saint John's Health Center Now Offers Robotics Surgery Option for Prostate Cancer Patients

The Dirks/Dougherty Prostate Center at Saint John’s Health Center and the John Wayne Cancer Institute now offers prostatectomy patients the most high-tech, minimally-invasive surgical approach through the use of the da Vinci Surgical System, from Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

This robot-assisted surgery is quickly becoming the preferred treatment for removal of the prostate following early diagnosis of prostate cancer, with studies suggesting it may be the most effective, least invasive prostate surgery performed today.

Dr. Souresh Ramin, a Saint John’s urologist who trained on the daVinci System at City of Hope, is a certified proctor in this leading edge technology and has recently begun operating with the da Vinci System at Saint John’s.

“We are pleased and excited that Saint John’s Health Center and The John Wayne Cancer Institute is the first medical institution in Santa Monica to be able to offer robotic prostatectomy,” said Dr. Ramin. “With the da Vinci, prostatectomies can be performed with significantly less pain, fewer complications, less blood loss and scarring. The hospital stay is shorter and the recovery is faster. It’s hugely beneficial.”

To date, Saint John’s physicians Leslie M. Kaplan, M.D., Mark J. Kelly, M.D., Peter M. Loisides, M.D. and Karyn Eilber, M.D. have also been trained on the da Vinci.

The da Vinci Surgical System enables surgeons to operate with unparalleled surgical precision. Recent studies suggest that da Vinci Prostatectomy may offer improved cancer control and a faster return to potency and continence. Approximately 16 percent of American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer sometime in their lives. Traditional radical prostatectomy requires a large, eight to ten inch incision, often resulting in substantial blood loss, a lengthy and uncomfortable recovery, and the risk of impotence and incontinence.

The da vinci Surgical System’s sophisticated robotic platform expands the surgeon’s capabilities, resulting in minimally invasive surgery. The system consists of an ergonomically-designed surgeon's console, a patient cart with four interactive robotic arms, a high-performance vision system and patented EndoWrist instruments. As the surgeon manipulates the controls, miniaturized precision instruments become an extension of his or her hands, wrist and finger movements, greatly enhancing accuracy, dexterity and approach.

The System cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own. Rather, the da Vinci System requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from the surgeon. The da Vinci Surgical System is the only commercially available technology that can provide the surgeon with the precision, dexterity and control of traditional open surgery, while only requiring 1-2 cm incisions.

Thanks to a generous $6.5 million gift, the Dirks/Dougherty Prostate Center at Saint John’s Health Center and the John Wayne Cancer Institute was established to enhance excellence in research and patient care.

The center is named for Carolyn Dirks, a longtime supporter, trustee, and friend of both institutions, and her husband, Brett, who provided a landmark donation OF $6.5 million Mrs. Dirks also provided funds for the JWCI Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program, and is one of those spearheading the replacement of Saint John’s Health Center.