Da Vinci robotic surgery

Surgeons at Park Nicollet use the da Vinci® S HD Surgical System to perform complex procedures – including prostate, gynecological and heart surgery – using dime-sized incisions.

Da Vinci is the most advanced robotic surgical system available in the world. It provides surgeons with an alternative to traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopic surgery.

• Watch video about da Vinci (Windows Media Player)
• Watch Dr. Dan Zapzalka’s presentation about da Vinci (Windows Media Player)
• Watch a non-nerve sparing robotic prostatectomy performed by Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Zapzalka (Windows Media Player)

For most patients, da Vinci robotic surgery offers many benefits compared to traditional open surgery. Benefits may include: 

• significantly less pain
• less blood loss
• less scarring
• shorter recovery time
• faster return to normal activities
• in many cases, better clinical outcomes

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is both patient- and procedure-specific.

Precision, control

Surgeons control three or four robotic arms from a console located a few feet away from the patient. Wrist instruments allow the surgeon to use his or her hands the same way he would in traditional surgery – only with enhanced precision, control and range of motion.

3D vision in high definition

Surgeons guide the robotic arms using a high-powered video system. The 3D HD vision magnifies vital structures 10 times more than the naked eye. That clarity and detail is critical when performing delicate dissection or reconstructive procedures.

Patient stories

Read stories from Park Nicollet patients who have experienced da Vinci surgery.

• Jerry Magin, prostatectomy patient
• Bonnie Carpenter, hysterectomy patient

More information

For more information about the da Vinci and specific surgical treatments, call:

• urology: 952-993-3190
• gynecology: 952-993-3282
• cardiology: 952-993-3246