little nervous Dr. new at da vinci

I am scheduled for a total hysterectomy. My Dr. assures me that all will go well but he has only done 10 other hysterectomies with the da vinci robot.

Keep in mind that every doctor has a learning curve he/she has to go thru. The hospital wouldn't allow them to do it if it wasn't safe. Most likely he/she will have an experienced DaVinci surgeon assisting. Also, from what I have read, it is easy to learn because they are basically making the same movements with their hands that they make during a regular TAH...only their hands are guiding the robots arms instead of their own. But still all the same moves...

I hope this helps.

Thank you that does help. I am just looking forward to a new beginning.

Bigtrouble -

Talk to your Dr. about your concerns. Possibly he can tell you what training he completed to do the procedure. I know at least in my area they have to complete quite a hours of training before they can go into the operating room.

From what I've been told for the first surgeries it can take a little longer because of the set-up time and still gaining proficiency with the system. This would mean you are under anesthesia longer so that is one thing to discuss with your Dr.

You need to feel comfortable about it in case there are issues so you don't second guess yourself and your Dr.



G.

Thank you for your support. I appreciate it. I will talk with the Dr.

That would be of some concern for me, personally. A surgeon completely experienced with the procedure he is performing is the preference. However, if you want to feel better, you can ask him if he has prior experience with lap surgery before, or if he's only done abdominal or vaginal. Because it's a natural progression for doctors who perform Laparoscopic surgery to try daVinci. They already know laparoscopy and just have to learn to do it with the robot.

Please also take into consideration Tauruslady's post, where she points out that under daVinci, you can be under anesthesia longer because of the time needed to set up the robot, and if the doctor is new at it, it may take additional time.

All valid points thank you. I did ask and he has done many, laparoscopic procedures. I also asked how he was with video games!
Thanks again,