Saint Joseph's Health System, a 410-bed, acute-care hospital in Atlanta, has launched the International College of Robotic Surgery to train surgeons around the world.
ICRS is a non-profit training center designed to enhance robotic surgery education via the Internet.
ICRS offers training and services to obtain certification for cardiac robotic surgery. The training will be conducted under the leadership of two of the country's leading robotic cardiothoracic surgeons, Douglas Murphy, MD, and Sudhir Srivastava, MD.
"We have seen the tremendous benefits to patients from robotic-assisted surgery since we began our program in 2002," said Kirk Wilson, president and CEO of Saint Joseph's Health System. "Robotics will become the standard of care and we want to help other surgeons and their surgical teams learn and actively use the technology so they can work with their hospitals to develop strong, viable programs for patients."
ICRS will provide training for all daVinci Surgical Systemrobotic surgery specialties, beginning with intracardiac and cardiac revascularization, including totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery.
"ICRS will provide consistent, initial and long term support for surgical teams that isn't currently available," said Murphy.
"Over the last five years, I've trained many surgical teams and it has been tremendously expensive and time consuming," he added. "Alternatively, ICRS programs will be available online and using interactive, advanced communications technology with ongoing remote proctoring support until the surgeon and his team feel confident and comfortable with the robotic system."
Officials say they expect to begin training this spring.
