Thursday, November 14, 2013
St Joseph's Health Care London
From Three Days to 23 Hours: St Joseph’s Shortens Hospital Stay for Prostate Cancer Surgery Patients
Twenty years ago patients needing prostate cancer surgery faced a two-week stay in hospital. Today some St. Joseph’s Hospital patients are home within 23 hours, and doing well.
In a trial believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, renowned urologist Dr. Stephen Pautler has successfully reduced the length of stay for robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) patients from the current standard of two or three days to 23 hours, with outpatient surgery being the ultimate goal.
The RARP is a procedure performed using the latest robotic da Vinci Surgical System, a unique platform that allows instruments to be inserted and manipulated through small incision sites, and involves removal of all of a cancerous prostate gland. “By performing this surgery robotically, carefully selecting candidates based on their physical fitness and following a specific recovery plan we have safely discharged patients home sooner than ever before,” says Dr. Pautler.
The process was a collaborative effort among St. Joseph’s care team and includes support in the home after surgery for patients through Community Care Access Centre.
Media Contact:
Kelsi Break
Communication Consultant
519.646.6100 ext 64792 or pager 16529
Kelsi.Break@sjhc.london.on.ca
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