Los Fresnos News

Da Vinci Surgical System Shown to the Public at VBMC Hospitals

Dr. Jose Nieves demonstrates how the Da Vinci Surgical system works at VBMC in Brownsville. Photo: Tony Vindell/LFN

Dr. Jose Nieves demonstrates how the Da Vinci Surgical system works at VBMC in Brownsville. Photo: Tony Vindell/LFN

by Tony Vindell/LFN

A relatively new system to perform a number of surgeries using a spider-like robot was displayed at the two Valley Baptist Medical Center hospitals.

The robotic system is called Da Vinci Surgical and it was at VBMC-Harlingen on Thursday, May 17 and at VBMC-Brownsville the day before.

The less invasive system is being used in a number of surgical procedures, leaves smaller scars and allows a patient to recover in less time, compared to conventional surgeries.

Dr. Jose Nieves, one seven certified robotic surgeons at the Brownsville hospital, said any type of surgery comes with a risk, but the Da Vinci system lowers that.

He estimates it takes about two weeks for a patient to recover from surgery on the average, instead of a month or longer.

An average of 150 robotic surgeries are performed at VBMC in Brownsville.

A Da Vinci system costs about $1.9 million with eight of them located in Rio Grande Valley hospitals today.