Saddleback Memorial Medical Center First Area Hospital to Acquire Newest Version of Breakthrough da Vinci® Si Robotic Surgery System

Laguna Hills, CA (Mar. 14, 2012)—Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, in its commitment to offer the community advanced technological breakthroughs, has acquired the newest da Vinci Si Robotic Surgery System that extends minimally invasive surgery to the broadest possible base of patients for a number of procedures, including those in the area of gynecology and urology. The first da Vinci Si surgery at Saddleback Memorial was successfully completed by Marc Winter, M.D. and Jennifer Gruenenfelder, M.D. earlier today.

“While Saddleback Memorial has had a da Vinci robotic system since Fall 2010, we are proud to announce the addition of this newest version to our surgical suites and to our community,” says Steve Geidt, CEO of Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente. “We believe the new features of the da Vinci Si System help Saddleback Memorial provide the best possible outcomes and demonstrates our commitment to provide our community access to the latest advancements in minimally invasive surgery.”

Saddleback Memorial’s new da Vinci Si offers surgeons who have gained a strong reputation for minimally invasive procedures a high-definition, 3D magnified view of the surgical site, allowing for increased precision, versatility and control in highly complex surgical procedures. Though often called a “robot,” the da Vinci Si cannot act on its own. Instead, surgery is performed entirely by surgeons with assistance of skilled nurses, surgical assistants and technicians. The result is smaller incisions, significantly less pain, less blood loss, quicker recovery times, reduced risk of infection, faster return to normal daily activities; and in many cases, better clinical outcomes.

Dr. Winter, a well known Orange County gynecologist, and Dr. Gruenenfelder, a well known Orange County urologist, are two physicians trained to utilize the new surgical robot at Saddleback Memorial. In sharing how the technology works, Dr. Winter explains that “the da Vinci System allows physicians to operate on patients with robotic arms controlled by a console, an alternative to traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy. Putting a surgeon’s hands at the controls of the state-of-the-art robotic platform enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with unmatched precision. Dr. Gruenenfelder adds that “the new technology’s visualization system has 10 times magnification capacity, and the robotic EndoWrist is steadier and more dexterous than the human hand.”

For more information on Saddleback Memorial’s robotic surgery program, go to memorialcare.org/davinci.

About Saddleback Memorial Medical Center
Saddleback Memorial is a member of the not-for-profit MemorialCare Health System, an integrated delivery system that includes five other top hospitals – Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial, and Saddleback Memorial Laguna Hills and San Clemente; three medical groups – MemorialCare Medical Group, Memorial Prompt Care, and Specialty Physicians of Long Beach; an Independent Practice Association (IPA) Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare HealthExpress retail clinics; and numerous outpatient health centers throughout the Southland.