The Air Force has performed its first robotic surgery, a ventral hernia repair conducted last month by members of the 81st Surgical Operations Squadron, according to the Air Force officials.
The surgery was performed at the Kessler Medical Center in Mississippi, led by Maj. Lauren Buck and her surgical team, with the da Vinci Xi robot system, which translates hand movement into smaller and more precise movements as the tiny instruments decrease the risk of infections and allow for better visibility and dexterity while the surgeon is operating.
“My first robotic surgery went well,” Buck said. “It made the surgery easier, visualization was much better, and the da Vinci Xi has more dexterity, which is great.”
The da Vinci Xi robot system is equipped with a tiny camera, the robot sends images to a monitor in the operating room that guides the surgeons.
The Defense Department has 22 da Vinci robot systems that 29 surgeons are scheduled to receive training on. “Our mission is to train, teach and treat,” Lt. Nina Hoskins, an 81st MSGS registered nurse said. “We are training surgeons throughout the DoD…teaching our residents how to use the equipment…”
Doctors perform the Air Force’s first robotic surgery
