Paging Dr. Robot. Dr. Robot, to the operating room, STAT.
Surgeons at Lions Gate Hospital are now getting a hand from a piece of high-tech medical equipment that specializes in spinal procedures.
Local philanthropists Ian and Rosemary Mottershead have put up $1.75 million for the purchase of a Mazor Robotic Guidance System.
“This is the first spinal robot in Western Canada, and only the third in Canada, so it’s really exciting to have this at Lions Gate Hospital, and really exciting to have it for the benefit of our patients on the North Shore,” said Dr. Shahid Gul, head of neurosurgery at the hospital. “It’s a real pleasure to come to work to take on these challenging cases, knowing that we have some of the best tools like the Mazor to help us do our job.”
Gul described the robotic arm, which attaches to a rail alongside the operating table, as a “three in one.” With intra-operative CT scans, it helps surgeons plan complex procedures on patients with degenerative or traumatic spinal injuries or tumours; gives them real-time, 3D intel as the operation is ongoing; and then helps screw hardware into a patient’s vertebrae “as accurately and as precisely as possible.”
The thought of delegating surgical tasks to a machine may make some uncomfortable, but Gul said the Mazor robot has already clearly been shown to improve outcomes for patients.
“It’s sub-millimetre accuracy,” he said. “[It could be less] tissue invasion and potentially less blood loss and quicker recovery times and potentially even shorter stays in hospital.”
Already, the robot is being put to work daily in the OR, Gul said, on patients with spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and traumatic injuries, “which we get plenty of on the North Shore with our very active lifestyle.”
It is not the first time the Mottersheads have stepped up to provide their North Shore neighbours with state-of-the-art medical gear. Past donations have funded an intraoperative neuronavigation system, two operating microscopes, a nerve monitoring system, a 3D C-arm and a specialized operating table.
“My wife and I have the ability to give and we feel that we should. Lions Gate Hospital is the only hospital on the North Shore. It’s ours and those who can afford it should try to make it as good as it can be. That is what we aim to do,” Ian Mottershead said in a release.
Judy Savage, president and CEO of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, said thanks are owed to the generous donors.
“Ian and Rosemary have shown extraordinary support for Lions Gate Hospital over the past few years. The foundation is grateful for their generosity and their determination to support our mission in bringing technology and innovation to enhance patient care at Lions Gate Hospital,” she said.
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