JACKSON DOCTORS WILL SIMULATE ROBOTIC SURGERY DURING INTERACTIVE AND EDUCATIONAL EVENT

Patients Walter T. Richardson and Raymond Longaray; Sanjay Razdan, M.D., M.Ch., director  of the Jackson South Community Hospital Urology Center of Excellence; Henry Lujan, M.D., Colorectal Surgeon; Gustavo Plasencia, M.D., Colorectal Surgeon;  Jay Miranda, chief administrative officer at Jackson South Community Hospital

Since acquiring the da Vinci® Si Surgical System in 2006, Jackson Health System has performed more than 1,700 robotic surgeries, saving the lives of patients diagnosed with prostate and colorectal cancer. To celebrate the growth of robotic surgery, media and Jackson staff will have the opportunity to sit in the console where they will see the surgical field in 3D while directing the movements of the three robotic arms. Jackson surgeons will simulate a robotic surgery and speak about the significant evolutions in minimally invasive surgery that have transformed general surgery over the last few years. 
 
In March 2013, Walter T. Richardson, a well-known South Florida religious leader, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. At that time, he was given the option to do radiation, radical surgery, robotic surgery or nothing at all. After consulting with his family, he decided to undergo a robotic prostatectomy at Jackson South in July. The day after the surgery, Richardson was walking. He experienced little discomfort and recovered quickly.  
 
In March 2010, Raymond Longaray was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer during a routine colonoscopy. The father and grandfather immediately underwent a robotic colectomy at Jackson South. He returned home three days after surgery with no pain. His recovery was smooth – and he feels so fortunate to have had his life saved because of the robotic surgery. 
 
The Urology Center of Excellence at Jackson South Community Hospital offers unique, state-of-the-art treatment options for men suffering from an enlarged prostate, kidney or bladder stones, or prostate cancer. Under the direction of Sanjay Razdan, M.D., M.Ch., the center specializes in minimally invasive procedures that require limited hospitalization, shorter recovery times and minimal pain.

The Robotic Colorectal Surgery Program at Jackson South Community Center has the distinction of being named a Colorectal Epicenter, one of ten in the United States, as designated by Intuitive Surgical, the creators of the da Vinci® Surgical System. Our surgical team not only treats patients, but teaches other physicians from across the country how to use the robot in surgical applications. The program is under the leadership of Dr. Henry Lujan, M.D., FACS, FASCRS and Gustavo Plasencia, M.D. FACS. Dr. Lujan is a designated epicenter surgeon in robotic colorectal surgery, and uses the da Vinci® system to treat such conditions as colon cancer, rectal cancer, diverticulitis and inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.) Dr. Plasencia is a pioneer in laparoscopic colostomies, a procedure where part of the colon is removed. Dr. Plasencia has played an integral part in championing laparoscopic colostomies around the world. He was one of the first to use micro laparoscopy, a surgical technique utilizing small instruments measuring two-to-three millimeters in size.

January

31, 2014, 10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.

Jackson South Community Hospital 
Main Lobby
9333 S.W. 152nd Street
Miami, FL 33157

Press conference will begin at 10:00 a.m., but media is welcomed to attend event earlier, which starts at 8:30a a.m. and end at noon.