New robotic surgery system arrives at McHenry Hospital

MCHENRY - Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital is the most recent Northwestern Medicine hospital to offer patients the da Vinci Xi, a robotic surgical system that allows surgeons to perform complex minimally invasive surgeries with precision.

"The Xi robotic platform has been an exceptional tool for minimally invasive surgery. It overcomes the challenges of the past in terms of energy devices for dissection, visualization, set up and operating room efficiency," said Dr. Veronica Guerrero, a bariatric surgeon at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. "This translates to patient care with more precision, decreased blood loss, decreased pain and an overall decrease in open surgeries, which we know can lead to increase in pain, complications and recovery time."

To use the da Vinci Xi, surgeons sit at a nearby console to view 3-D images of the surgical site. Using the controls, the surgeon can move the robotic instruments with accuracy, stability and dexterity through small surgical incisions.

Other Northwestern Medicine hospitals that are using one or more da Vinci Xi robotic surgery systems, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.

John Rosenthal, 54, from Algonquin, recently had surgery using the technology to treat a hernia at McHenry Hospital. "I was able to go home a few hours after the procedure, and I'm on my way to getting around better without the constant pain holding me back," he said.