New use for operating on fibroid tumors in the uterus...BD
For two years, Lorraine Olson suffered from pain and bleeding associated with fibroid tumors in her uterus. Doctors told her she would need a hysterectomy to remove the tumors. Then she heard that a relatively new technique soon would be available at United Hospital in St. Paul.
So Olson waited four more months to have the tumors removed using the science of robotics.
There was good reason for Olson's planned patience. She was up and on her feet within days of her operation -- instead of the weeks it typically takes to recover from traditional open surgery -- she avoided an unwanted hysterectomy and her blood loss was significantly less. "I think I broke ground for Minnesota women," Olson said recently. "I feel great. I would not even know that I had anything done."
"We do not get better [insurance] reimbursement. We're not making as much money as we do with the old method," said Mark Mishek, president of United Hospital."We took a pass on the da Vinci three years ago. We thought it was too expensive and we didn't think it would take off. Now we're ready to jump in with both feet. I'll ask for a second robot."
United spent a total of $1.6 million to buy the da Vinci machine and redesign the operating room to accommodate it, using funds from its hospital foundation."We're just scratching the surface. This is going to be huge," said Dr. Robert Gaertner, a urologist who works out of St. John's. Gaertner said the da Vinci began paying for itself after six months of use
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