How a Valley hospital’s robot is helping to fight cancer

PHOENIX – New technology at a Valley hospital is helping at least one woman in her fight against cancer.

Julie Suess found out in the fall that she had uterine cancer and would need to get surgery immediately.

Suess went to Phoenix Baptist Hospital to undergo a total hysterectomy.

When she met with the doctor she said he told her, “We’re going to do this with a robot.”

“I was just stunned and said, 'Oh you can do that?' and he said, ‘Oh yes, indeed.’”

Suess then underwent surgery using Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci Si robot.

The da Vinci Si, introduced last spring, has capabilities like 3D visualizations and allows a surgeon to operate on patients through tiny incisions.

Since the surgeon can operate through tiny incisions, the patient endures less trauma and can recover quickly, according to Brian Liebrock with Intuitive Surgical.

“I left the hospital less than 24 hours after I was admitted,” said Suess. “I felt 100-percent three days out.”

Suess later found out she has stage 3 cancer, which has spread to her lymph nodes.

In cases such as hers, if more treatment is needed, a quicker recovery time allows treatments sooner, according to Liebrock.

Suess is scheduled to undergo chemo and radiation treatments and she remains optimistic with a positive outlook.

“I truly believe that because of this surgery, the next phase of my treatment and there will be more treatment, is going to be even better because I’m up to snuff, I feel good, I’m in great shape, and I’m ready to go into the next phase of my treatment.”

“[I want] to inform people about this new technology,” said Suess. “I think people need to ask about it. I think they need to find out about it. I think it needs to be used as much as it can be used.”

Suess attributes much of her happiness to the surgery at Phoenix Baptist Hospital.

“I cannot say enough about how I was treated by the staff while I was here,” she said. “From the minute I walked into this hospital, everybody from the admission people, all the way through post-op, all the way to discharge, were absolutely fabulous. It’s just been a phenomenal experience.”

While other Arizona hospitals have da Vinci robots, Phoenix Baptist Hospital and Paradise Valley Hospital, both part of Abrazo Health Care, are the only two hospitals in Arizona that have the new da Vinci Si robot.

Find out more about the da Vinci SI or Phoenix Baptist Hospital.