Surgery at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center

Advanced surgical services in Denver

When it comes to surgery, patients and their families can trust our surgical team at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center. We use advanced surgical practices and technology to ensure the best possible outcomes and shorter recoveries.

Your surgical team will work closely with you and your family to ensure that you receive the treatment that is right for you. Our team evaluates all surgical options to ensure that we safely and carefully meet your needs.

For more information about surgical treatment options at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, please call (877) 752-2737.

Increased safety precautions

At Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, the health and safety of our patients is our number one priority. During this time, we are taking increased precautions—including meticulous disinfection of surgical rooms, COVID-19 patient testing prior to surgery and daily staff screenings—to ensure patients feel comfortable about their upcoming procedures.

Advanced patient care

We are constantly improving our facilities and capabilities, not only to benefit the patients who rely on us for their care, but also to provide physicians and surgeons who operate at our facility with innovative tools and technology.

One of the ways we do this is through our hybrid operating room (OR). We have the largest hybrid OR in the state that is the only hybrid OR with the ability to accommodate both adult and pediatric patients.

Our hybrid OR features:

• Advanced technology—Our OR is equipped with highly advanced technology, including audiovisual (AV) technology incorporated throughout the OR that features a built-in video camera in the surgical light. This allows us to live stream any procedure to any location in the country to be used for consultation or educational purposes.
• Efficiency for patients and surgeons—Our OR capabilities reduce patient visits, admission time and infection risk, allowing physicians and surgical teams to work simultaneously to provide their patients with high-quality care.
• Enhanced X-ray systems—Our X-ray system provides 3D advanced measurement software. Our hybrid OR has the technology to capture exceptional imaging with less radiation exposure to our patients than conventional methods.
• Full endovascular suite—Our OR possesses all amenities available in typical ORs, in addition to a full endovascular suite. This allows us to combine open procedures and endovascular capabilities to offer patients a full range of services in one room.

Collaborative surgical teams

Surgical teams perform best when they have every resource available to them to treat their patients. Our hybrid OR has all of the necessary tools and technologies to personalize every procedure for our patients and surgeons.

The hybrid OR allows multiple teams with separate specialties to work together, performing multiple procedures at one time with the support of advanced technology. Complex procedures that once required multiple disciplines operating independently of each other, costing patients money and recovery time, can now be done simultaneously and more effectively.

Pre-admission testing

Our goal is to provide the best possible care before, during and after surgery. Before a patient's surgery, we will help them prepare for the procedure during a pre-admission appointment. This appointment typically takes place within seven days of the surgery.

Patients will need to bring an insurance card, picture identification and a list of medications, dosages, over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements.

During the appointment, a nurse will:

• Complete required pre-admission tests, such as labs or an electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Document medical history
• Provide education and instructions for the day of surgery

You or your physician’s office can schedule your appointment by calling (303) 839-6139. Make sure your appointment is set at least seven days before your surgical procedure.

Surgical specialties we perform

Our doctors perform many different surgical procedures, including:

• Colorectal surgery
• Gastroenterology surgery
• Hand surgery
• Joint reconstruction
• Limb preservation surgery
• Limb reconstruction
• Neurological surgery
• Orthopedic surgery
• Spine surgery
• Tumor removal

Limb preservation program

For patients with severe extremity damage, a team of surgeons with the extremity program at the Institute for Limb Preservation assesses the injury—including injuries of the bone, soft tissue, arteries and veins and nerves. This team works together to provide expert surgical and medical care for patients at risk of losing a limb.

For more information about our program, please call the Institute for Limb Preservation at (303) 832-5462.

Transplant surgery

Our transplant centers are home to highly skilled surgeons, hepatologists and transplant specialists. We provide access to advanced kidney transplant surgery at our Kidney Transplant Center and liver transplant surgery at our Liver Transplant Center. Our teams provide passionate, comprehensive, coordinated and family-centered care that continues from evaluation and surgery to post-transplant care.

Surgical treatment for TOS

TOS is a painful condition that impacts the nerves and blood vessels or arteries. In our experience treating more than 5,000 people with TOS, less than 30 percent needed surgery to get relief. However, when surgery is required, we offer expert vascular surgery at the Presbyterian/St. Luke's Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

Minimally invasive surgery

Minimally invasive surgery refers to an operation that can be completed with fewer and smaller incisions than traditional surgery, which allows the patient to heal faster.

While considered a safer and less risky alternative to open surgery, some minimally invasive surgeries, such as abdominal procedures, do require general anesthesia. However, since we use local anesthesia and small incisions, less general anesthesia is required.

Minimally invasive surgeries we perform

Our surgeons may use minimally invasive techniques for several procedures, including:

• Adrenalectomy
• Appendectomy
• Breast surgery
• Cholecystectomy
• Colectomy
• Common bile duct exploration
• Hernia repair
• Nissen fundoplication
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy
• Splenectomy
• Thoracoscopic pleurodesis
• Thyroidectomy

Advanced robotic surgery

Our medical teams are dedicated to incorporating medical innovation into their daily practice. One of the ways we do this is through robot-assisted surgery. Our doctors have continued to master this evolving technology to provide advanced care options to our patients. We are now using robotic technology within a wide range of specialties. We are home to one of the largest robotic surgery programs in the Rocky Mountain region.

Benefits of robotic surgery

Benefits of robotic surgery include:

• Fewer complications
• Greater sparing of nerves
• Less blood loss
• Less pain and scarring
• Quicker recovery and return to regular activity
• Reduced risk of infection
• Shorter hospital stays

Robot-assisted procedures we offer

Our highly skilled surgeons perform the following robotic surgeries:

• Colorectal surgery
• Gallbladder surgery
• General surgery
• Hernia repair surgery
• Hysterectomy
• Nephrectomy
• Prostatectomy
• Sacrocolpopexy

Robotic single-site surgery

Robotic surgery offers the possibility of a single-incision procedure for select patients needing a hysterectomy or cholecystectomy. Patients who have a single-site robotic surgery typically experience virtually scarless results. That is because the surgeon operates through only one small incision in the navel (belly button). After a fast recovery, the scar is almost impossible to see.

Surgeons at our Center for Robotic Surgery are among only a few in the state performing single-incision surgery. Our surgeons proctor physicians from all over the Rocky Mountain region on performing this procedure.

Though robotic surgery has been used successfully worldwide in many procedures to date, not all patients are candidates for robot-assisted surgery. Patients should discuss the benefits and risks of each surgical technique with their doctor.