Rodolfo before surgery
“For patients who have received this new type of procedure, their recovery has been much faster and less painful, allowing them to get home and get back to work easier. It’s especially a great option for elderly and more frail patients because it decreases their risk of falling post-surgery since they have a reduced need for opioid pain medications,” said Dr. Kim.
For 74-year-old Rodolfo (who chose to keep his last name private), undergoing surgery with a new robot was a bit exciting, since he spent the majority of his career as a computer engineer, working with robots and fixing computers and electronics. After doctors discovered a rare, slow-growing tumor in his thymus gland called thymoma, Rodolfo was deemed a perfect candidate to undergo surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital with the new da Vinci SP surgical system.
“I’m very supportive of medical advancements – especially when they involve a robot – so when Dr. Kim told me the new robotic platform would help me recover more quickly with less pain, I was all for it,” said Rodolfo, who underwent his procedure in mid-August.
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