Abrazo Arrowhead Campus (formerly Arrowhead Hospital) is the first and only hospital in Arizona to use the new Mazor Robotics Renaissance® Guidance System for minimally invasive orthopedic spine surgery.
“Renaissance® guides the surgeon’s tools and implants during both open and minimally invasive surgery which may provide greater accuracy when compared to freehand conventional spine surgery. This may result in patients having less radiation, fewer complications, less postoperative pain and a faster recovery,’’ said Patrick Smith, Chief Medical Officer at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus.
Before entering the operating room, surgeons use Renaissance® to pre-plan the optimal surgery in a CT-based 3D simulation of the patient’s spine. During surgery, Renaissance® guides the surgeon’s hand and tools to the precise pre-planned location.
Since June 16, about a dozen surgeries have been performed using the new robotic system at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus, 18701 N. 67th Ave. in Glendale.
For Ann Brandt-Williams of Glendale and Freddy Ramos of Avondale, their back pain was so intense that they had difficulty walking and performing everyday tasks.
They were excited to have had the chance to be the first Arizona two patients to have less invasive back surgery using a new spine robot at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus.
Brandt-Williams, an avid hiker and world traveler, she says she is happy that she decided to try out the new technique. She said her June 23 surgery resulted in a shorter hospital stay, fewer complications and a quicker recovery than her previous back surgeries.
“My previous surgeries each took two days and this surgery was only one day. I needed blood after my previous surgeries and I didn’t need any this time. I also was only in the hospital about 2 ½ days instead of five days during my previous surgeries,’’ said Brandt-Williams, a retired Glendale Community College professor and former nurse.
Ramos, who says he is recovering well from his June 16 surgery, is able to walk better. He is looking forward to resuming activities that he loves like taking his son to soccer practice, gardening and holding his grandkids.
This new robotic technology may be used to help patients who have debilitating spinal conditions such as scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, kyphosis or spondylolisthesis.
“The purchase of this new technology underscores Abrazo Arrowhead Campus’ commitment to providing the latest technological advances in patient care,’’ said Frank Molinaro, Abrazo Arrowhead Campus Chief Executive Officer.
“We see Mazor Robotics technology as ushering in a new era in spine surgery, the same way laparoscopies transformed general surgery in the ‘90s” Molinaro said.
Spinal surgeons trained to use the Mazor robotic technology at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus are Harvinder Bedi, Edward Dohring, Paul Gause, Issada Thongtrangan and Mark Wang. All five are independent surgeons on staff at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus.
Besides the spinal robotics technology, Abrazo Arrowhead Campus also had led the way in other orthopedic care. For example, it is the first hospital in Arizona to use the MAKOplasty robotic surgical system for total hip replacement and the first in the West Valley to offer partial knee replacement robotic surgery. In addition, Arrowhead surgeons use the da Vinci surgical robotic system for a range of surgeries.
Abrazo Arrowhead Campus is a 217-bed nationally recognized acute care hospital that has been serving the healthcare needs of the residents in and around Glendale, Arizona since 1988. It is part of the Abrazo Community Health Network.
“Since we opened our doors, Arrowhead has grown right along with our community. We proudly combine state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology with experienced, dedicated staff to ensure the highest quality and safest patient care. We continue establishing new and much-needed service lines, such as our award-winning diagnostic and interventional cardiovascular program including open-heart surgery; comprehensive orthopedic services; 24-hour emergency care; obstetrics; inpatient and outpatient surgery; women’s health care; and wound care center,’’ Molinaro said.
