After Decades Of Suffering, Plainfield Woman Has Fantastic Quality Of Life Thanks To Robotic Surgery

NEW LENOX, IL — For over two decades, Plainfield resident Beth Kenealy’s quality of life was in a downward spiral. She suffered from constant incontinence which advanced to the point she was wearing the largest incontinence pad. In addition, after the birth of her third child, she had severe, heavy periods that included blood clots.

“I was miserably stressed for years. I spent my entire work days running to the bathroom trying to avoid either urinating or bleeding through my pants,” said the 47-year-old truck driver. “As I drove my truck, I anxiously hoped that I’d be able to make it to the next bathroom without having another accident. I knew I had to get help because I started missing days of work because of my conditions.”

So by a recommendation from her primary care physician, Kenealy met with urogynecologist, Dr. Nahla Merhi with The Midwest Institute for Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital. Surgeons from around the country come to Silver Cross to observe Dr. Merhi perform complex surgeries such as Single-Site Hysterectomy® with the assistance of the daVinci robotic surgical system.

After evaluating her options with Dr. Merhi, Kenealy had a robotic hysterectomy and Burch bladder suspension surgery at Silver Cross on April 24, 2017. Silver Cross was one of the first hospitals in the entire Midwest where skilled surgeons use the robotic surgical system to perform hysterectomies with virtually scarless results.

“Dr. Merhi is awesome! She took the time to find out what was wrong with me, in order to figure out the correct solution to fix my problems,” said Kenealy. “Because of her advanced expertise and the compassionate care I received from the nurses at Silver Cross, I was up and walking around hours after surgery. I even went home the same day. I am no longer living in misery and I am so shocked at how good I feel only a few weeks after my surgery.”

Kenealy preferred to have the Burch bladder suspension since it lifts the bladder to treat urine incontinence without using any foreign body or mesh material. After her robotic surgery, she has no pain, incontinence or severe bleeding issues.

“It is so fantastic to not be continuously stressed running to the bathroom anymore,” exclaimed Kenealy. “I am so thankful to Dr. Merhi for significantly improving the quality of my life.”

“Thanks to the enhanced vision, precision, and dexterity that are gained by using the robot, I was able to successfully perform a very complex surgery while allowing Beth to have a quicker recovery,” said Nahla Merhi, M.D., who is Co-Director of the Center of Excellence for Minimally Invasive Gynecology at Silver Cross Hospital.

Benefits to Robotic Gynaecological Surgery

“During Beth’s robotic hysterectomy and burch bladder suspension surgery just a few incisions were made through her belly button and abdomen, so she could get back to life faster without the usual recovery following major surgery,” said Dr. Merhi, who has performed more than 600 robotic surgeries and more than 350 single site robotic cases. “In addition, there are many potential benefits over traditional open surgery, including minimal blood loss, less scarring, shorter hospital stay, low risk of complications, and a faster recovery. The benefits are remarkable!”

How Does it Work?

Controlled by a surgeon from a console, the innovative da Vinci robot is used to make 8mm (`1/3 inch) to 12 mm (~ 1/2 inch) incisions and then long, delicate instruments are inserted into the patient that enable specially trained physicians to perform the surgery.

Interestingly, misconceptions still exist that the robot is actually performing the surgery all by itself. “The important aspect to understand is that the da Vinci robotic system cannot be programmed nor can it make decisions by itself,” said Dr. Nahla Merhi. “The da Vinci System can only operate with direct input from the surgeon.”

During the procedure, the surgeon sits comfortably at a console, viewing a 3D, high-definition image of the patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses controls below the viewer to move the instrument arms and camera. In real-time, the system translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into more precise movements of the miniaturized instruments inside the patient.

About Nahla Merhi, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

Dr. Nahla Merhi, board certified in obstetrics/gynecology and urogynecology, completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Lutheran Medical Central in New York. Dr. Merhi has special interest in treating urinary incontinence and pelvic prolapse as well as training in using the surgical robot systems to provide patients quicker and less invasive procedures. She has been treating urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse for more than 12 years. She has performed more than 600 robotic surgeries and more than 350 Single-Site™ robotic cases. Further, Dr. Merhi is the only doctor in Will County to perform Single-Site™ robotic hysterectomies and has has completed the highest number of single site cases in the state of Illinois. During Single-Site™ robotic hysterectomies, just one single incision is made through the belly button, so patients can get back to life faster without the usual recovery following major surgery. Dr. Merhi has also served as a mentor for robotic surgery, where gynecologists from all over the nation have flown to Silver Cross Hospital to watch her perform robotic surgeries. In addition, she has presented at national and international conferences on robotic gynaecologic surgeries at the Australasian Gynaecologic & Endoscopic Surgery AGES meeting in Australia in March 2016 and the AIMIS meeting in Atlanta in April 2016. To schedule an appointment, call her office at Suburban Gynecology at (815) 717-8727, located at Silver Cross Hospital Pavilion A, Suite 375, 1890 Silver Cross Blvd., New Lenox.

About Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit health care provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Truven Health Analytics 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner for seven consecutive years, a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers and was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety GradeSM by The Leapfrog Group for five consecutive periods. With over 4,200 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 296-bed acute care hospital and 5 satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital in 2012 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. In 2016, Silver Cross provided over $37 million in charity care and other community benefits. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital or a referral to a physician on staff, visit www.silvercross.org. Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services.

Photo: Dr. Nahla Merhi, gynecology and urogynecology robotic surgeon (left), and Plainfield resident Beth Kenealy, whose quality of life was greatly improved after undergoing robotic hysterectomy and burch bladder suspension surgery with The Midwest Institute for Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital.