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With You Through Life’s Most Defining Moments

Advancing surgical precision and improved patient outcomes with robotic surgery at NYGH

With You Through Life’s Most Defining Moments

  • Advancing surgical precision and improved patient outcomes with robotic surgery at NYGH

Advancing surgical precision and improved patient outcomes with robotic surgery at NYGH

Dr. Peter Stotland, Chief of Surgery, North York General

“I’ve seen first-hand what donor support can do at North York General. The impact our donors have had on our surgical program has been truly transformative. Today we have a new opportunity to work with our donors to innovate our care once again with the expansion of our robotic-assisted surgery program. Robotics have the potential to systemically change health care – for patients, care providers, and hospitals as a whole. But we can only do it with your support.”

Dr. Peter Stotland
Chief of Surgery
North York General

From birth and throughout life, many of life’s most defining moments take place in a hospital.

For people undergoing surgery, these can be moments of pain and worry as they recover from sometimes invasive procedures. Although life-saving, the recovery from surgery can mean weeks away from their loved ones, their lives, and their jobs. Imagine if there was a better way.

Donor support is vital, and allows us to have the right resources to provide the best care in these moments. Many people don’t realize that government funding only goes so far, so we rely on our community of supporters to help us grow and improve. At North York General (NYGH) we provide exceptional care and unmatched kindness at every step of our patients’ health journey.

As we look to the future, we invite our donors to help expand our robotic-assisted surgery program by supporting the addition of a new robotic surgery platform. This innovation will be a game-changer for patients undergoing surgery.

Less complications, less recovery time, and less strain on the body will allow our patients to return to celebrating life’s moments with their loved ones faster than ever before.

Why do we need to expand robotic assisted surgery (RAS) at NYGH?

Robotic assisted surgery (RAS), a commonly used method of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), is extensively utilized in numerous surgical fields for a wide array of procedures. Globally, it has been adopted since the early 2000s, although its uptake in Ontario has been low but growing rapidly in the last decade. Expanding our robotic surgical program will ensure NYGH stays competitive, appealing to patients seeking leading-edge medical care.

At NYGH, RAS would be utilized by urology, general surgery, and gynecology surgeons to conduct a variety of procedures. This innovative technique ensures heightened surgical precision and improved patient outcomes. The advanced technology of RAS empowers surgeons with enhanced dexterity and visibility, reduced surgical complications, less post-operative pain, and faster recovery times, all contributing to a shortened post-operative length of stay in hospital.

As we continue to plan for the future, RAS will also solidify our standing as a preferred site for surgical resident trainees and amplifies our appeal as a destination for recruiting high-caliber talent in the surgical field.

RAS: Benefits to Patients

First and foremost, RAS is better for patients. Research in RAS has shown several benefits over other surgical approaches.

Many of these are direct benefits to the patient including:

  • Reduced blood transfusion
  • Better surgical margins for cancer treatment
  • Reduction in complications, pain, blood loss and surgical site infections
  • Reduced post-operative pain and shorter recovery time, allowing quicker return to family, home, work and everyday activities, minimizing potential negative impacts on finances, social connections, and mental health and well-being
  • Enhanced scope of potential patients able to undergo surgery who are not suitable for traditional surgical methods, reducing inequalities across population groups

RAS: Benefits to NYGH

In addition to providing better care for our patients, a well-established RAS will help create more capacity at NYGH, allowing us to see more patients in less time. This also helps us manage hospital resources in a more flexible way, allowing teams to pivot during times of surge or crisis.

Less Invasive: Complex surgeries done by physicians assisted by robotics allow for less invasive techniques

Less Invasive: Complex surgeries done by physicians assisted by robotics allow for less invasive techniques

Quicker Recovery: This leads to quicker recovery times and fewer post-surgery complications

Quicker Recovery: This leads to quicker recovery times and fewer post-surgery complications

Quicker Discharge: Patients go home sooner than ever before with many avoiding inpatient admission altogether

Quicker Discharge: Patients go home sooner than ever before with many avoiding inpatient admission altogether

Reduced Hospital Costs: reducing a patient’s stay by one day saves the Hospital $640 a day per patient. Readmissions are also reduced with a lower rate of complications.

Reduced Hospital Costs: reducing a patient’s stay by one day saves the Hospital $640 a day per patient. Readmissions are also reduced with a lower rate of complications

We care for more patients: more beds are available for acute care year-round because inpatient stays are avoided as much as possible

NYGH operates one of the largest surgical programs in the GTA. Every year, our care teams perform over 30,000 surgical procedures. We anticipate this number will continue to grow with our population projections, as well as an aging population requiring more care.

In order to meet this need, we must rethink our hospital resources. RAS requires the acquisition of a new surgical robot system, of which there are various leading-edge options. Our leadership team is assessing each of them to determine the best fit for NYGH.

Regardless of the brand name, RAS will be expanded across many care areas including the following (in Year 2 after Year 1 of ramping up):

  • Procedure Type / Estimated Volume (Year 2)
  • Prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) / 25
  • Partial Prostatectomy (partial removal of the prostate) / 10
  • Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) / 10
  • Other Procedures (colon resection, hernia repair, and more) Myomectomy (removal of uterine fibroids) / 50
  • Total / 50

The Power of Philanthropy

Philanthropy sits squarely at the intersection of health care and innovation. Our hospital system is largely funded by the provincial government, but the cost of robotics and impact that comes with it must entirely be covered by our donor community. We are planning a sustainable funding model that will allow for funding of the RAS spanning five years:

  • Robotic System Costs Over 5 Years
  • Disposables Cost (probes and other items used per surgery) / $888,703
  • Lease Payments (for the use of the robotics system) / $3,435,947
  • Total Project Cost / $4,324,650

(budget includes Foundation fee in order assist with processing, receipting, investment management, stewardship, and granting)

How can donors help?

Through the support of donors, NYGH will acquire a new, state-of-the art surgical robot system this year so that it can be put to good use right away for our community. All donations towards this new equipment will go a long way for the thousands of patients who turn to us in their time of need. Undergoing surgery is a life-defining moment and through your philanthropy, NYGH can be there to support everyone going through this journey.

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