It doesn’t have a steering wheel (or seat belts). You can’t take it out on I-95. And it won’t even top one mile per hour. But Health First’s Palm Bay Hospital associates, visitors and patients had an opportunity on Wednesday to “test drive” the hospital’s new da Vinci Xi robotic surgery technology, bringing to seven the total number of robotic surgery units in the Health First network.

 

Watch Spectrum News 13's report by clicking the image.

 

Health First held a public demonstration October 26. The health system has offered robotic surgery in Brevard County since 2014, and more than 12,000 surgeries have already been successfully performed. Patients who undergo robotics-assisted surgeries have a length-of-stay in a Health First hospital of approximately 1.5 days compared to the national average of five to 15 days for “open” (large incision) surgeries.

Not only does robotic surgery improve surgical outcomes, it is also a tremendous game changer for the surgeon. Prior to laparoscopic and robotic technology, a surgery – such as a hernia repair operation – could take two hours or more. “We are now able to perform many procedures safely in a fraction of time,” said Health First Surgeon Mohamad Hammoud, MD.

“The robot is an accessory tool that you have at your fingertips to make surgery a lot easier – and safer. I’m still the surgeon. The robot is not doing anything on its own. I have to control it – but it allows me to have tools and autonomy that I wouldn’t ordinarily have in a very tightly controlled space.”

WATCH Florida Today's story, PALM BAY HOSPITAL UNVEILS NEW DA VINCI ROBOTIC SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY.

SEE NEW: ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY USED FOR SURGERIES COMING TO HEALTH FIRST PALM BAY HOSPITAL in Yahoo!

READ Space Coast Daily's story, HEALTH FIRST ASSOCIATES AND PATIENTS 'TEST DRIVE' NEW ROBOTIC SURGERY TECHNOLOGY AT PALM BAY HOSPITAL.