Milestone in robotic surgery in Michigan

LANSING, Michigan (WLNS) — Medical technology has made great strides – and five Michigan hospitals now offer robotic technology.

Here in Michigan, the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow just reached a milestone: 15,000 robotic-assisted procedures completed. Surgeons say the technology allows them to perform surgeries in a less invasive way.

Because only tiny incisions are required, the procedure is less painful for the patient. Additionally, scarring is minimal and patients recover faster.

This DaVinci technology can be used in more than 100 procedures, including cardiothoracic, urological and bariatric surgery. It was first introduced in 2005, and officials say they have performed 5,000 operations in the last five years alone.

6 News spoke to Margaret Kavanagh, who underwent Sparrow robotic surgery. She said it’s important that people understand exactly what robotic surgery means, namely that the surgeons control the technology.

“These people are brilliant, highly skilled and highly trained,” Kavanagh said. “And they know what they’re doing, and without them, technology would just be another tool sitting on the shelf. And they’re using it to make things faster, more precise and improve our lives. I’m very grateful for that.”

Officials said the hospital recently participated in a clinical trial testing the latest robotic system, which they said keeps them on the cutting edge of surgery.