UMC El Paso upgrades surgical fleet with Da Vinci 5 robot

University Medical Center of El Paso has completely upgraded its surgical fleet with robots, more specifically, the Da Vinci 5.

The Da Vinci 5 is controlled by surgeons and used to make workflow and teaching easier, but that's not all.
UMC Surgical Medical Director Dr. Alonso Andrade says there's a need for minimally invasive options, and that data shows if patients can get smaller incisions for the same procedures, it leads to faster recovery, better patient satisfaction, better outcomes, and less infection.

Some newer features the Da Vinci 5 has is haptic feedback, meaning they can feel with their hands the pressure they're applying to the tissue, which can cause less injury.

It also incorporates a lot of equipment and tools that they use, so it helps with the workflow during surgery and prepare the surgeries quicker.

"Having the ability to at least think about those things... what are the possibilities?" says Andrade. "So having this new technology just opens your mind to new possibilities and asking research questions. It's just it's a it's an exciting time. 

Andrade, who is also an associate professor at Texas Tech Health El Paso says with the Da Vinci 5's dual teaching console, he can work with residents and medical students during the surgery without being right by their side.

Surgeons can even open an app on their phone and watch the surgery miles away and walk the doctors through it.

"If I want the resident to do a certain task like, 'Hey, I need you to throw a suture here. I need you to practice this,' They can do it and I can be watching them..." Andrade says. "It's really a game changer for us."

It can even record the surgery and break it down using AI, so the surgeon can go back and talk about it with a resident.

If surgeons plan on using the Da Vinci 5 robot on a patient, they ask them for consent and explain the benefits and risks first.