MacNeal Hospital Hosts Interactive Surgical Robot Demonstration

Berwyn, IL – On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, MacNeal Hospital will host an interactive demonstration in which members of the community can observe and try out the da Vinci surgical system. The event will be held from 11 am to 4 pm at the Oak Park lobby entrance. Acquired by Loyola Medicine in 2021, the da Vinci robots are used for minimally invasive procedures at MacNeal. In this interactive experience, members of the community have an opportunity to learn first-hand how MacNeal physicians perform urologic, gynecologic and general surgeries using this advanced technology.

"We're very excited about this event," said Pierre Monice, president of MacNeal Hospital. "It lets the Berwyn community know that MacNeal is willing to invest in innovation. This is just the beginning: we want to keep investing, and we want to let the community know that we're dedicated to their health care."

The da Vinci Xi is a versatile and flexible system for robotic-assisted surgeries designed to promote operating room efficiency. In appropriately selected patients, robotic surgery results in faster healing time, shorter hospital stays and lower complication rates compared with other techniques, making them more cost-effective in the long run. Surgeries done using the da Vinci robot are also less invasive and cause less pain for patients. Such improvements in patient care are encouraging when it comes to future investments in robotic-assisted surgical care.

Since the da Vinci Xi began its tenure at MacNeal, the number of surgeries done with the robot has gone up, especially in the past few months, and surgeons have been able to take on increasingly complex cases within their specialties. The surgical team has also expanded. The robots have been used in urology, gynecology, gynoncology and general surgery.

"Our patients and community will benefit from seeing this advanced technology in the hands of our skillful surgeons,” said Charles Bareis, MD, FACP, chief medical officer at MacNeal Hospital. MacNeal's team of expert surgeons will be available to demonstrate the system as well as discuss the benefits and outcomes of robotic surgery procedures. Event attendees will also have the chance to try out the robot themselves and speak with surgeons, including Samer Totonchi, DO, chair of MacNeal’s Robotics Committee.