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Da Vinci Surgical System Shown to the Public at VBMC Hospitals
- Updated: May 25, 2018
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.