Robotic Surgery

Iowa Heart Center, in conjunction with MercyOne Des Medical Center, is the only Des Moines-area facility to offer the latest version of the da Vinci® surgical robot for cardiothoracic surgery our physicians and patients.

The da Vinci® surgical robot enables surgeons, working from a computer console several feet from the patient, to work at a scale smaller than conventional surgery while at the same time getting a more precise, 3-D look at the surgical site than normal human vision allows. Robotic surgical incisions are typically only as wide as a dime resulting in fewer stitches, less blood loss, less pain and faster recovery.

With this FDA-approved system, a surgeon operates with natural hand-eye coordination while seated at a console. The instrument's movements mimic the surgeon's hand movements — when the surgeon turns the controls clockwise, the robot's instruments turn clockwise. In many cases, the surgical robot can accomplish intricate movements and procedures that a surgeon's hands cannot physically do.

Contact MercyOne Iowa Heart Center or call 877.914.3600 to learn more about robotic surgery at Iowa Heart Center.