Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, part of Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast, has launched the Ascension Sacred Heart Center for Advanced Robotic Surgery (ASHCARS) and recently celebrated the launch with a hands-on experience for associates, students and the public.
“To create this center, we brought together elite robotic surgeons, specialized clinical teams and advanced robotic technology at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola,” said Drew Stringfellow, Director, Business Development. “The center will continue to grow as we add additional surgeons with similar expertise and more specialties. The robotic systems on-site are advanced technology that must be used by a highly skilled surgeon and clinical team in order to achieve the outcomes we want for our patients. These resources are centralized to achieve the best surgical results.”
To demonstrate how robotics is used in medicine, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola offered staff and the public the chance to try out the various robotic systems in use at the hospital and meet some of the physicians who specialize in robotic surgery. ASHCARS surgeons gave presentations on robotic surgery innovations, including videos of actual robotically assisted procedures. These physicians have mastered the ability to perform surgery through a tiny incision. Nearly 100 people attended the event.
Participating physicians included Drs. Ludovic Lasquety, general surgeon, ASHCARS Chair; Jeffrey Wolters, urologist; Angela Ziebarth, gynecologic oncologist; E. Jean Dabezies Jr., orthopedic surgeon; Peter Bercz, pulmonologist and critical care medicine specialist; and Scott Stewart, orthopedic surgeon. The actual robotic systems they use were available for those attending.
At Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, robotics is used to treat diseases such as prostate, gynecological and lung cancer, as well as other gynecological issues, and in hip and knee replacement procedures.
