Robotic Surgery Open House Event:
A robotic surgery open house event at West Hills Hospital and Medical Ceter entitled: “Robotics to Recovery” took place in early May. The robotic surgery open house at West Hills Hospital focused on robotic surgery capabilities and showcased how West Hills Hospital is a technology leader in the San Fernando Valley. The Da Vinci, Mazor and Velys robotic systems were on display.
Many surgical procedures are performed on the Da Vinci (Intuitive Surgical). The most common procedures are hernia repairs, however, also common are operations on the gallbladder, colon, or stomach.  Also included are many urologic and gynecologic procedures that are available at West Hills hospital. Dr. David Schreier demonstrated the many versatile aspects of this state of the art technology, and its impact on rapid recovery after surgery.
 Dr. Umesh Bhagia and Dr. Nicolas Vardiabasis demonstrated advantages of The Velys System (DePuy-Synthes). The Velys is used for knee replacement surgery and offers faster recovery. Furthermore, it provides a well tailored surgical plan based on a patient’s anatomy and gives accurate data for better joint stability.
Additionally present was also The Mazor System (Medtronic), for spine surgery. Dr. Amir Vokshoor and Dr. Jared Ament presented insight and answered questions.
DaVinci Robot – Robotic Assisted Surgery
The West Hills Hospital Robotic Surgery open house event had several components over two days. The first component was an educational forum for high school students. Students from Taft, Calabasas, and Agoura high schools came for 1 hour blocks to see all three systems. The students were able to get hands on experience with the DaVinci on either the actual robot or a simulator. Dr. Schreier, and Mr. Cameron Stone (Clinical Associate at Intuitive Surgical) helped students work on suturing and other skills on the robot. Additionally, videos of performed operations were shown and discussed. Also, the students had an opportunity to see the technology used for knee replacement and spine surgery.
Next, the West San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trustees of the hospital were invited to a community event later that evening.
Finally, a morning event took place the following day. On this day, hospital staff, surrounding offices, and patients were able to see technology available here at West Hills Hospital. Many took advantage of a chance to “drive” the DaVinci robot.Â
Here are a few photos of the event:
Mr. Dennis Zine getting an up close view of the DaVinci robot before taking a “test drive”.
Dr. Schreier explaining the robotic control cart to his colleague, Dr. Gary Standke.
West Hills Hospital Staff viewing a video of an operation performed on the Da Vinci
Students from Taft High school getting hands on experience on the Da Vinci
