Washington Adventist Performs County's First Robotic Operation

Washington Adventist Hospital performed the first da Vinci robotic single-site operation in Montgomery County Sept 7, only a year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved single-site instruments for the da Vinci robotic surgical system.

The procedure was used to remove a patient's gallbladder through a single, one-inch incision made through the belly button.

“By making only one incision, patients experience virtually no scarring, minimal pain and a quick recovery,” said Bobby David, the general surgeon at Washington Adventist Hospital who performed the procedure.

During the procedure, surgeons control the robot from a console, using high definition cameras and miniature instruments to perform the operation.