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Boca Raton Regional Hospital National Leader in Use of Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery
August 18, 2011

Percentage of procedures exceeds national average by nearly nine fold

BOCA RATON, Fla. – August 11, 2011 – According to physicians at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the institution is exceeding the national average in the use of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of colon & rectal diseases by nearly nine fold. In a study recently presented by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine, less than 10 percent of colorectal surgical patients treated at high-volume centers undergo laparoscopic surgery, despite strong evidence demonstrating that patients have better short-term outcomes with laparoscopic colectomy than with open surgery.

“At Boca Regional, 90% of our colorectal surgeries are performed utilizing the minimally invasive technique,’ says Andrew Ross, MD, colon & rectal surgeon at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. “The national average of hospitals performing the laparoscopic procedure is currently around 8 to 10%.”

Each year, more than 600,000 surgical procedures are performed in the United States to treat diseases of the colon and rectum. Traditionally, these operations require a large abdominal, “open” and/or pelvic incision, involving an average hospital stay of five to eight days and six weeks for recovery. New instrumentation and techniques allow the surgeon to perform the procedure through several small incisions, in what is now referred to as “minimally invasive,” “laparoscopic,” or “laparoscopic-assisted” colorectal surgery.

Most intra-abdominal disease can be treated utilizing this technique including diverticulitis, appendicitis, Crohns disease, benign and malignant colon and rectal polyps and ulcerative colitis

The surgeon makes about four or five small one-half inch long incisions. A laparoscope (a tiny telescope attached to a video camera) is inserted into one of the openings, allowing the surgeon to see inside the abdomen. Instruments are inserted through the other openings and are used to remove the diseased section of bowel and reattach the healthy segments. A slightly larger incision is usually made to remove the diseased section of colon from the body. The surgery takes two to three hours. The patient is out of the operating room more quickly than after an open procedure, and there is no large incision to suture.

“Laparoscopic colorectal surgery has been a remarkable improvement in patient care,” said Dr. Ross. “The benefits versus open-abdominal procedures are significant including shorter hospital stay, less pain and blood loss, reduced infection rates and injury to tissue, minimal scarring, and a faster return to normal activities.”

Initially, when the technology and technique were first employed, patients with prior colo-rectal surgery were not good candidates for minimally invasive procedures. That has changed over the years. “It’s now a very individualized patient identification with no real broad indications that would eliminate the minimally invasive option. As evidenced by our experience, we are confident that we can utilize minimally invasive surgery on the vast majority of our patients with only a very small chance of having to convert to an open procedure,” commented Dr. Ross.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital is ranked #2 in Florida for gastrointestinal services and #3 in Florida for gastrointestinal medical treatment, by HealthGrades. U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals listing also recognized the Hospital high-performing in gastroenterology.

About Boca Raton Regional Hospital - Medicine. Redefined.

Born out of community need in 1967, Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced tertiary medical center (www.brrh.com) with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The Hospital is a recognized leader in oncology, cardiovascular disease and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, women’s health and emergency medicine, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a Joint Commission Designated Primary Stroke Center.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™ and is ranked by HealthGrades® as: #1 in Florida for overall cardiac services and cardiac surgery, #1 in Florida for treatment of stroke, #2 in Florida for gastrointestinal services and #3 in Florida for gastrointestinal medical treatment.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital is also recognized in U.S. News Media & World Report’s 2011 - 2012 Best Hospitals listing as a top ranked hospital in the South Florida metropolitan area.