Administering a local anesthetic at the incision site helps to limit the
pain patients experience immediately after surgery, says Dr. Kaouk.
Working hard in the PACU to prepare patients for same-day dis-
charge is just as important as the education you provide them before
their procedures. "We have a nursing unit that takes care of outpa-
tients on a different track than inpatients," says Dr. Kaouk. "The nurs-
es manage patients' pain, monitor their vital signs and talk to them
and their family members to make sure they're ready for discharge
and can go home safely."
The robot's $2 million price tag — plus the added expense of the
disposable instruments used during each case — makes the technolo-
gy cost-prohibitive for some facilities. "Although the robot is an
expensive piece of equipment, it lets surgeons operate in a safe, less
invasive way and achieve excellent outcomes," says Dr. Kaouk.
For facilities that can afford to add robotic assistance, improved
patient care is certainly a worthwhile investment.
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