Technology and quality medical care often go hand in hand. Here are some of the ways the two da Vinci^® robots assist surgeons at The George Washington University Hospital in treating patients.

Urologic Surgery: Surgeons at GW Hospital have been using the robot to perform kidney reconstruction procedures in patients who have blockages or obstructions in the urological system. With the second robot, they will begin offering more services.

"The newer robot is designed for small places like the kidney," says Thomas Jarrett, MD, Chairman and Professor of Urology. "We can now perform more procedures for kidney cancer and retroperitoneal fibrosis, as well as pelvic floor reconstructions and some urogynecology procedures."

Urologic surgeons at GW Hospital have been treating prostate cancer with the robot since 2004 and have the most experience in the region. "Robotic surgery is so effective that it is evolving into the standard of care for prostate surgery," says Harold Frazier, MD, Director of Urologic Oncology and Clinical Professor of Urology.

Thoracic Surgery: GW Hospital is one of the few leading centers for robotic thoracic surgery in the country. "Robotics allows us to make three small holes and perform the same operation as though we had made a large incision. We do the same surgery in a different way with much less damage to tissue," says Marc Margolis, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery.

Cardiac Surgery: Although robotic surgery was originally designed for cardiac surgery patients, few meet the criteria for robotic procedures. Researchers at GW Hospital are defining safe new ways of using robotics to treat cardiac patients.

"We are currently designing a novel robotic surgery approach for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). With this approach, we will be able to offer the Maze procedure through small keyhole incisions," says Farzad Najam, MD, Associate Director of Cardiac Surgery and Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery. "We hope to offer this new technique to patients and expect it to become the standard of care for treating AF."

Enter the New Era in Surgery
For a referral to a robotic surgeon, please call 1-888-4GW-DOCS or visit www.gwhospital.com/roboticsurgery for more information.

900 23rd St., NW, Washington, DC 20037 (202) 715-4000