First robotic surgery at the Medical Surgery Center

RUHS recently completed its first robotic surgery case at the Medical Surgery Center.  We spoke with Marcos Michelotti, MD, FACS, RUHS’ Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery, to learn more.

Why is the first robotics case at RUHS Medical Surgical Center (MSC) significant?

It is very significant for the MSC and the institution in general due to the fact that now we will be able to tackle more complex cases at the MSC that until today were being performed mostly at the main hospital. In the long run we plan for the MSC to become a high volume mostly outpatient facility that will help us have a more rational distribution of resources with the ability to only use the main hospital or for those cases that require that level of care. 

What types of robotic surgery does RUHS offer?

Currently our hospital offers robotic surgery in multiple subspecialties including general surgery, colorectal surgery, gynecology, urology, and surgical oncology. In the near future we will be adding thoracic surgery and orthopedic surgery.

When is robotics surgery appropriate vs. traditional non-robotic surgery?

Any patient that requires complex minimally invasive surgery is a good candidate for robotic surgery. Currently robotic surgery is expanding the number of patients that can be treated with a minimally invasive approach and that otherwise would have been operated in an open fashion. 

Anything else you’d like staff/community members to know about this work or the future of this work?

I would like to make everybody aware of the fact that our hospital is growing and expanding access to high level technology to all our patients. I want to thank the hospital leadership for their vision and commitment to serve our community. 

RUHS has completed a total of six robotic surgeries as of May 22, 2023.