Vim & Vigor - Fall 2019 - CH - 51

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For Keefe, this meant that her surgeries would be performed by a very experienced surgeon and clinical staff using
highly standardized processes and the
most advanced technology available for
minimally invasive techniques.
"Procedures with da Vinci result in
less hospital time, less risk of infection
and less pain for the patient," Dedelow
says. "Many times patients can go back
to work more quickly."

A Quick Recovery

Keefe, who works at
St. Mary Medical Center, says she
returned to work after only eight days,
as compared to the usual six- to eightweek hiatus for traditional "open"
total hysterectomies. She only spent
one night in the hospital, not three
to five days as was common for an
open surgery.
"There are a lot of single moms who
really can't take off the six weeks that
you previously needed for recovery,"
Keefe says. "So this method is really nice
and convenient for them."
Best of all, Keefe says, she experienced almost no post-operative pain.
"I had what sort of felt like a mild
menstrual cramp and maybe a little bit
of pressure," she recalls. "But there
was no pain significant enough to take
any medications. In fact, I didn't take
any kind of pain medication after surgery because I didn't feel like I needed
any. I was functioning normally. It
was amazing."
Keefe says she has five small scars
from the procedure, each one a quarterinch long or less, none visible.

Centers of Excellence

Positive patient experiences and
outcomes are the primary reason
that St. Mary Medical Center and its
Community Healthcare System sister hospitals, Community Hospital in
Munster and St. Catherine Hospital in
East Chicago, utilize the da Vinci for
minimally invasive procedures including
gynecology, general surgery, urology
and thoracic surgeries.
The complementary Center of
Excellence designations for minimally
invasive gynecology and robotic surgery
attest that the gynecologists and clinical
teams at St. Mary Medical Center bring
the highest levels of knowledge, expertise and professionalism to the practice
of women's healthcare.
"A Center of Excellence represents
a standardized method of approaching patient care," says Dedelow, a
Community Care Network, Inc. practitioner at St. Mary Medical Center.
"The reviewers come in and look at
our practices and help guide us on

Less Invasive
Procedures
For more information on
minimally invasive surgeries at the hospitals of
Community Healthcare System
with the da Vinci Surgical
System, visit COMHS.org/
services/surgery/robotics.

standardizing every part of the patient
experience. This makes it more efficient,
safer for the patient, and continuously
improves outcomes."
As a St. Mary Medical Center
employee, Keefe says she shares her
da Vinci experience with other patients
who may be having their own minimally
invasive procedures.
"I like being able to talk to patients
and tell them what I went through," she
says. "It makes them feel better. That's
probably the best part of it for me." ■

Douglas Dedelow, DO, chats with Alisa Keefe
during a follow-up visit after her procedure.

FALL 2019

http://www.COMHS.org/services/surgery/robotics http://www.COMHS.org/services/surgery/robotics

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2019 - CH

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