Dr. David B. Samadi, MD Goes the Distance With Robotic Surgery and Prostate Cancer Treatment Due to His SMART Surgery Technique

When international prostate cancer patients seek the best robotic prostate surgeon, the name David Samadi MD usually comes up. “I have a pretty far-reaching international patient base, and my staff is very skilled in dealing with traveling patients,” said Dr. David B. Samadi, a robotic prostatectomy expert, as well as the Vice Chairman, Department of Urology, and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Creator of the SMART Surgery Technique, which stands for “Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique,” Dr. Samadi combines his open radical prostatectomy and laparoscopy skills along with his oncologic expertise and adds in his unique robotic surgical experience. Samadi, a uro-pathologist expert in prostate cancer treatment, performs this distinctive prostate surgery himself, from beginning to end, one operating room at a time — which is extremely unique in New York. With a successful 3,100 cases to his credit, his revolutionary and advanced prostate cancer surgery and prostate cancer treatment method drastically reduces blood loss, pain, hospital stay, recovery time and the dreaded side effects of other treatments.

With the SMART Technique, there have been no instances of rectal perforations in Dr. Samadi’s last 3,100 cases — a claim that very few surgeons can make. Additionally, with a transfusion rate close to zero (only three in Samadi’s last 1,600 cases have needed a blood transfusion), the SMART Technique is the most personalized robotic prostate surgery procedure of its kind in New York. The bloodless procedure results in less damage to the delicate neurovascular bundle that is responsible for sexual function and urinary control. Samadi proudly boasts a record of 97% continence and 85% potency for his patients.

“The most important thing for my patients is a cure, but so is their urinary and sexual function,” said Dr. Samadi, “The SMART Surgery Technique enables me to successfully give my patients all three of these vital factors and return them to their quality of life.”

Because of the high learning curve, Dr. Samadi feels that the SMART technique requires high volume in order to master. “I have perfected this technique over 3,000 robotic-assisted prostate surgeries, more than half using this technique,” he said. Samadi relies on Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robot to assist him in his SMART Surgery, but adds that “the robot doesn’t do the surgery, I do.” Samadi says the robot is merely a vehicle that allows him improved surgical vision and magnification.

However, Dr. Samadi is most proud of the dedicated team that helps him perform his SMART Surgery, at a rate of over 500 robotic prostate surgery procedures a year. “The combination of surgical experience, staff expertise, a premier center excellence such as Mount Sinai and my SMART technique give all of my international and domestic patients personalized medicine, quality of life and hope for a cancer-free future,” said Samadi.