Robotic Surgery Program

Precision Care for the Best Surgical Results

Robotic surgery gives you less pain, a faster recovery and a more precise procedure. Our surgeons use tiny tools that provide a minimally invasive approach and increased access to areas of the body that are difficult to reach with traditional open surgery.

Benefits of Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery is a highly technical form of minimally invasive surgery. Your surgeon works from a console next to the operating table. Surgeons use finger controls and foot pedals to manipulate the robotic arms. Your surgeon’s wrist, hand, and finger movements are translated into fine movements of instruments at the tips of the robotic arms.

These instruments are much smaller than a surgeon’s hands and can work in confined spaces. The robotic technology cannot operate independently of the surgeon. 

At Emory Healthcare, our nine da Vinci robotic surgery systems provide high-definition, 3D imaging with 10X magnification. This lets your surgeons visualize much greater detail than is possible with the naked eye. 

The system’s “dual consoles” allow two surgeons to operate collaboratively as needed.

Robotic surgery provides multiple benefits. You enjoy:

  • Decreased blood loss
  • Decreased postoperative pain
  • Higher rates of organ preservation
  • Improved lymph node dissections for cancer 
  • Less invasive surgery, with smaller incisions
  • Less scarring
  • Lower risk of nerve injury 
  • Shorter hospital stays

Robotic Surgery Services

Our Robotic Surgery Program includes four hospitals in metro Atlanta. What started as a service to improve heart surgery at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in 2002 has grown into a comprehensive, innovative program.

We perform more than 1,600 robotic surgery procedures a year. Types of robot-assisted surgery we offer include:

Collaborative Expertise in Robotic Surgery

Emory’s robotic surgery program provides care from a highly specialized team, including:

  • Anesthesiologists 
  • Data analysts and administrators
  • Nurses
  • Physician assistants
  • Physicians
  • Surgeons
  • Surgical technicians 

Our team received additional education and training in robotic surgery systems, focusing on patient safety. To ensure you get the most advanced care, we evaluate and modify your treatment plan based on the best practices for your health condition.

History and Highlights of Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery began in the mid-1980s when NASA developed telepresence surgery. The goal was to give a surgeon (in a separate location from the patient) the sense of operating directly on the patient. 

To decrease wartime mortality, the U.S. Army expanded the technology in the 1990s. It worked to virtually bring a surgeon’s abilities to a wounded soldier on the battlefield. Robot surgery technologies were blended with minimally invasive surgery. This simplified complex procedures with the help of computers and mechanics.

At Emory Healthcare, our robotic surgery teams are recognized for providing outstanding robotic surgical services. We are a:

  • National leader in transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for oral tumors
  • National leader in urologic oncologic surgery, including robotic cystectomy for bladder cancer
  • Training center for robotic surgeons from other hospitals throughout the United States and abroad
  • Training center for resident surgeons learning robotic surgery in varied surgical disciplines

Intuitive Surgical, which makes the da Vinci robotic surgery system, has named our program a Center of Excellence in three surgical specialties:

  • Robotic Heart Valve Surgery
  • Robotic Bariatric Surgery
  • Robotic Colon and Rectal Surgery
     

Make an Appointment with Emory’s Robotic Surgery Program

To make an appointment, please call 404-778-7777.