Robotically Assisted Surgery at Methodist

Benefits are significant. There is less damage to surrounding healthy tissue, patients experience less pain, blood loss and complications, and the recovery time is shorter.

The surgical robotics system is completely under the surgeon's control and replicates the surgeon's movements in real time. It cannot be programmed or make decisions on its own. The surgeon sits at a console and uses a thumb and forefinger to manipulate robotic arms that have specific functions. The patient lies on a regular surgical bed and is monitored by an anesthesiologist and specially trained surgical staff members who change the functions of the arms by simply snapping a laser or certain type of scalpel in place.

Comparison of Traditional, Laparoscopic & Robotic Prostate Cancer Surgery

Variable	Traditional	Laparoscopic	Robotic
Length of surgery in minutes	164	248	160
Blood loss in millimeters	900	380	153
Rate of complications	15%	10%	5%
Number of days for catheter use	15	10	5
Days of hospitalization	3.5	1.3	1.2

William Hall, M.D., Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Hall was the first surgeon in Tennessee to perform robotically assisted lung surgery and the first in East Tennessee to repair a hole in the heart using surgical robotics. A graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, he is board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery and is a fellow of the Southeastern Surgical Congress, American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, and American College of Surgeons.

Lalita Krishnan, M.D., Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Krishnan, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, practices gynecology only. She is a graduate of the Government Stanley Medical College in Madras, India, and completed an ob-gyn residency at the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City. Dr. Krishnan is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine and American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. She is one of the first ob-gyns in this area to receive accreditation to perform robotically assisted gynecologic surgery.

Thomas H. Metcalf, M.D., Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Metcalf is among the first obstetricians-gynecologists in this area to perform robotically assisted gynecologic surgery. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, he is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, and American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. Dr. Metcalf is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology.

Thomas O'Connor, Jr., M.D., Urologist Dr. O'Connor is one the first urologists in this area to perform robotically assisted surgery to remove cancer of the prostate. A board-certified urologist, he is a graduate of the Cornell University Medical College and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Scott Peters, M.D., Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Peters, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist at Methodist, was the first physician at this medical center to perform a gynecological procedure using the da Vinci robotic system. He earned his medical degree from the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and completed general surgery and ob-gyn residencies in Tulsa, Okla. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Surgeons.

Andwylynn Sances, M.D., Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Sances is a graduate of the East Tennessee State University, John H. Quillen College of Medicine. She completed an ob-gyn residency at the University of Kentucky and is board-certified in ob-gyn. A member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Sances joins a small number of ob-gyns in this region who are accredited to approve robotically assisted gynecologic surgery.

James Sloan, M.D., Urologist Dr. Sloan is one of an elite number of board-certified urologists trained in performing robotically assisted prostate cancer removal. A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, he is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.