Early Fall 2009
The Most Robot-Assisted Surgeries in Fairfield County
The Most Robot-Assisted Surgeries in Fairfield County

You may have heard about robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, but did you know that Bridgeport Hospital physicians have performed more than 700 procedures—more than any other hospital in Fairfield County?


Urologist Edward Paraiso, MD, one of the expert Bridgeport Hospital physicians who performs minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery, sits at the console of the da Vinci “S” Surgical System.
With its flexible robotic arms and sophisticated threedimensional imaging system, the da Vinci “S” robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery system allows physicians to perform delicate procedures through several tiny one- to two-centimeter incisions with unprecedented precision. “Because the instruments are so small, I can cut more precisely and place more stitches, more accurately,” says urologist Robert Weinstein, MD. “The 3-D view lets me get to areas I can’t see during open surgery—and even though I’m sitting across the room, I have superior vision of the surgical field.”

The incisions are much smaller, and result in less blood loss, less pain, less scarring and a lower risk of infection. Most patients can resume their regular daily activities in about half the time as with traditional surgery. “The use of robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery has dramatically shortened recovery time for my patients,” says Chief of Gynecologic Oncology Masoud Azodi, MD, who helped pioneer the use of the da Vinci “S” Surgical System at Bridgeport Hospital. “Most are back to their daily activities in weeks rather than months.”

Bridgeport Hospital surgeons who are trained to use the da Vinci “S” robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery system include:
Colorectal Surgery
Scott Thornton, MD

Gynecology
Steven Cassell, MD
Robert Deal, MD
Lee Jacobs, MD
Mark Laser, MD
Peter Van Dell, MD

Gynecologic Oncology
Masoud Azodi, MD
Dan Silasi, MD		 Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility
Anthony Santomauro, MD

Urology (bladder, prostate and renal cancer procedures)
Jonathan Bernie, MD
Edward Paraiso, MD
Arthur Pinto, MD
Robert Weinstein, MD

For information about these and other expert physicians affiliated with Bridgeport Hospital call us toll free 24/7, at 1-888-357-2396.