USA Health Launches Robotic Thoracic Surgery Program

 USA Health has expanded its robot-assisted surgical services with the addition of a robotic thoracic surgery program, which provides minimally invasive lung and chest surgery for patients. Cardiothoracic surgeons Dr. Parker Mullen and Dr. William Ricks recently performed thoracic surgery using the da Vinci Xi robotic system at USA Health University Hospital and USA Health Providence Hospital. Both cases involved the removal of cancerous lung tissue. With minimally invasive surgery, patients experience reduced trauma to the body and a quicker recovery. The robotic thoracic surgery program is the first of its kind for USA Health. Mullen said the da Vinci Xi robot can be used for lung, mediastinal (chest cavity) and esophageal surgery. In the operating room, a surgeon controls the da Vinci Xi’s four tiny instruments from a console using magnified views of the surgery site. Robotic instruments move like a human hand but with greater precision and a greater range of motion. The benefits of robotic surgery include a shortened length of hospital stay, less blood loss, reduced complications and less post-operative pain. After adding two new robots in 2024, USA Health now utilizes six da Vinci Xis and one da Vinci SP (single port). They have been used in abdominal hernia, esophageal, gastrointestinal, colonic, hiatal hernia, cancer, urologic and gynecologic surgeries across the health system.