MIDDLESEX COUNTY- On any given day, Dr. Leonard Y. Lee, deploys both his hands and eyes into the complex interior of a patient’s heart – at least virtually speaking.
Within the growing specialty of robotic surgery, Lee, a renowned physician and a Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, is considered an operating-room pioneer, advancing and perfecting the field’s technological nuances.
Speaking to a room of esteemed physicians, case workers, nurses and other industry professionals, Lee was on hand at Roosevelt Care Center at Old Bridge, 1133 Marlboro Road, at 6 p.m. on Nov. 3 to expand on his work, as well as the changing landscape of healthcare.
The hour-long presentation revolved around his instrument of choice: the daVinci XI robotic surgical system, a remote-controlled apparatus being used to treat patients suffering from heart-valve issues ranging from mitral-valve repair to aortic stenosis.
This cutting-edge technology provides Lee, as well as other physicians, access to the heart through the abdomen and chest, while at the same time better equipping its user with enhanced visual capabilities and increased instrument control.
“The minimally invasive technique allows surgeons to perform the necessary procedure without spreading or cracking the patient’s ribs and significantly reduces the disruption and trauma to tissue surrounding the surgical area,” Lee said in a recent internal hospital interview.
Wristed instruments, 3D-HD visualization, intuitive motion and an ergonomic design are just a few of the features that make the latest daVinci model a medical tool to be marveled, said Roosevelt Care Center at Old Bridge Administrator Alan Fialka.
“We’re seeing a lot more patients with cardiac issues in our subacute wings,” Fialka said. “So Dr. Lee’s discussion couldn’t be more relative to our operation here at Roosevelt.”
Lee, who doubly holds the titles of Professor of Surgery and Interim Chair for the Department of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is largely considered one of the first in the state to master this state-of-the-art system, which is also being used in specialties like urology, thoracic, colorectal, gynecology and more.
For more information on Roosevelt Care Centers, log onto www.rooseveltcarecenter.com or call 732-321-6800 for a representative in Edison or 732-360-9830 to reach staff in Old Bridge. Further details may also be found on facebook by liking the pages “Roosevelt Care Center at Edison” and “Roosevelt Care Center at Old Bridge.”
