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A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
December 27, 2012
I
NKSTER
- W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
A surgical team at Oakwood
Annapolis Hospital in Wayne
recently performed their first da
Vinci
Single-Site
Cholecystectomy. The patient's
gallbladder was removed through
one tiny incision in the navel,
making the procedure virtually
scarless
EdwardMavashev, MD, led the
team through the procedure in
which, using robotic assistance,
the gallbladder was removed
through a single one-inch inci-
sion.
“Neither robotic surgery nor
single-incision surgery is new, but
combining the two to remove the
gallbladder requires additional
training and special equipment,”
Mavashev said. “To be one of the
first hospitals to offer this techni-
cally advanced surgery demon-
strates Oakwood's leadership in
providing patients with the most
up-to-dateminimally invasive sur-
gical options.”
The da Vinci is a robotic surgi-
cal system widely used in com-
plex minimally invasive surgery.
The
Food
and
Drug
Administration cleared the spe-
cialized Single-Site instruments
for use with the system in
December 2011. Oakwood
Annapolis started using a da Vinci
Si-the newest version of the sys-
tem-earlier this year. Mavashev is
one of a small group of surgeons
in the country who has received
training to perform the surgery.
Mohamad Hakim, MD, and
Mehran Mirkazemi, MD, are two
other Oakwood-affiliated sur-
geons trained in the technique.
During the procedure, the sur-
geon sits comfortably at a console,
viewing a 3D, high-definition
image of the patient's anatomy.
The surgeon uses controls below
the viewer to move the instru-
ment arms and camera. In real-
time, the system translates the
surgeon's hand, wrist and finger
movements into more precise
movements of the miniaturized
instruments inside the patient.
Unlike traditional robotic sur-
geries requiring three to five
small incisions, this new technolo-
gy allows for a single incision in
the belly button where instru-
ments are placed and the dis-
eased gallbladder is removed.
Potential benefits of Single-Site
gallbladder surgery include virtu-
ally scarless results, minimal
pain, low blood loss, fast recovery,
a short hospital stay and high
patient satisfaction. The surgery
takes about one hour and patients
canbe discharged the same day.
“Single-Site instruments used
with the da Vinci platform are the
next step in the evolution of surgi-
cal technologies,” said Debbie
Gendron RN, BSN, robotic coor-
dinator at Oakwood Annapolis
Hospital. “We are truly excited to
be a leader today in the surgical
treatment of tomorrow.”
More than 1 million people in
the U.S. have their gallbladder
removed each year, including as
many as 12,000 in metro Detroit.
Most are performed with tradi-
tional laparoscopy using several
incisions. Most people who
require gallbladder removal are
candidates for the robotic, single-
incision surgery. According to the
American College of Surgeons,
surgery is the recommended
treatment for gallbladder pain
from gallstones and non-function-
ing gallbladders.
OakwoodAnnapolis performed
its first Da Vinci procedure in
June, 2012. Since then, Oakwood
Annapolis surgeons have per-
formed robot-assisted surgical
gynecological, urological, tho-
racic, general, colo-rectal and ear,
nose and throat procedures.
“We've really embraced the
technology,” said Gendron. “I
think it's fantastic that a small
community hospital can offer
something like this. It's fabulous
for Oakwood and the community
wehave the privilege to serve.”
I think it's fantastic that a
small community hospital
can offer something like this.
”
Annapolis surgeons use new da Vinci robots
Library hours explained
There are some changes taking place at
the William P. Faust Public Library in
Westland.
While the facility is still only open five
days aweek, hours have been expanded dur-
ing those days. The library is now closed on
Sundays and Mondays, but that, too, may
change soon, according to Library Board
PresidentMarkNeal.
The approval of an additional 1-mill on
residential taxes to fund the library was
approved by voters in August, although the
facility has not yet seen the bulk of that fund-
ing.
Members of the Westland City Council
approved a $1.37 million budget amendment
recently that will pay for 17 additional staff
members, some supplies and the restoration
of the library concert program. The catalog
systemwill be replaced and the heating/cool-
ing controller system and some other main-
tenance items will also be funded with the
budget amendment.
Neal said the library has not received the
full funding yet as it will be on the winter tax
bills, but should resume former hours in
February or March of next year. Neal said
the board is interviewing to fill positions of
employees who were fired or laid off but
many of themhave foundwork elsewhere.
Neal said that the council, the mayor and
the citizens deserve thanks for their contin-
ued support.
"Wewill be able to secure the future of the
library for a minimum of a decade. We will
be able tomake improvements," he said.
Invasive fish species found
Inkster is the site of an ugly invasion,
discovered last month by a team of volun-
teers.
The round goby, an invasive fish, is
apparently thriving in the Rouge River
according to findings of the Friends of the
Rouge, a non-profit group dedicated to
preserving thehealthof thewaterway.
According to Sally Petrella of the group,
the discovery of the round goby in Inkster
has the potential for wiping out a lot of
native fish. The round goby stays near
prime spawning area and then gobbles up
eggs laid by trout, whitefish and other
species important to regional fishing, she
said.
The fish are voracious bottom-feeders,
she added, and measure up to 10-inches
long. The species has spread rapidly since
arriving in the 1910s.
“They do help by eating zebra and
quagga mussels, which are among the
Great Lakes most damaging invaders, but
their appetite for other fishes' eggs offsets
the good they do,” a spokesman said.
The fish also spread botulism responsi-
ble for the death of thousands of shore-
birds, she added.
Petrella said it is too early to take
aggressive action against the fish, like fish
poisons used elsewhere, but the situation
is a threat to the system, she said.