A letter from Dr. Jeff McCracken

Robotic Surgery Is Starting Soon At Royal Jubilee Hospital

On behalf of my colleagues, it is my great pleasure to share that in the coming weeks, we will officially start robotic-assisted surgery in our great city. Before I dive into what this means for us as caregivers and our patients, I share how astonished I have been by Foundation donors and champions like you. I always knew this community was generous and with an appetite to do more for one another—but this show of generosity has surpassed every hope I could ever have.

Simply put: the Foundation and its donors have given us the trust and confidence we needed to turn our dreams into reality. To know the It’s Time for Surgical Innovation campaign has reached $11 million of its $17 million goal so far, is something I do not take for granted. I thank all 2,100 donors that have united so far for robotics and best-in-class minimally invasive equipment. On one recent office day, I had every one of my patients tell me they had supported the campaign—it was very touching, and at the same time, so encouraging of the work we are doing together to elevate surgical care here in Victoria.

Though the campaign is ongoing, I am proud to share that the da Vinci robotics system being funded is here now at Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH). Out of over 1,000 hospitals in Canada, we are the 16th to have this state-of-the-art technology. The other robots are in the largest health centres in the country. It is impressive what we are doing here as a community to bring the best and latest.

Over the last few months, many surgical team members across multiple specialties have been training on the da Vinci robot. Many of us completed our fellowships with robotics, and we are working with our colleagues to ensure a smooth transition for those surgeries that will be performed with the da Vinci. It takes a whole team to provide excellent surgical care, and all are key to the success of our robotics program, from our anesthesiologists, nurses and attendants, all the way to our engineers in Biomedical who maintain our equipment and the team in Medical Device Reprocessing that sterilize our equipment.

It goes even further. To make this program go live, there has been an impressive approach across multiple medical and non-medical departments; many hands, minds and hearts have been at play. All of us, in sync and because of donor support, are changing the game when it comes to surgical innovation.

Very shortly, the robotic system will be moved to the operating room and will be used on two to three patients every surgical dayMy colleague Dr. Michael Metcalfe and I will be performing the first procedures. The day we officially launch the robotics program at Royal Jubilee, will be a momentous day we celebrate with you and our patients in mind.

I shared with you early in the campaign the many benefits of the robot (read my full letter here). At the core, the da Vinci robot has four arms that serve as physical extensions of our movements, one of which has a camera that better allows us to see the site we operate on. Robotics will allow us to perform more precise and less intrusive procedures with far less risks of infection and need for blood transfusion, a reduced need for pain medication, as well as shorter hospital stays—and therefore a lessened demand on nurses. Robotics is going to have a positive and compounding effect for both patients and caregivers—and that, is the true gift Foundation donors are giving us.

Over the coming months, you will also hear more about new surgical equipment and technology the campaign is bringing to the Island. Soon, my colleagues will be offering new procedures for enlarged prostates, breast cancers, gynecological cancers, and retinal conditions. The landscape is changing because of the advancements made possible by Foundation donors.

If you have supported the campaign already—thank you for raising the bar with us. We simply could not do this without you.

To those interested in joining this great cause, I invite you to connect with the Foundation and support surgical innovation. This campaign is going to change and save lives.

With utmost gratitude,

—Dr. Jeff McCracken

Chief Urologist, Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals