Columbus Community Hospital staff have completed the first surgery using the hospital’s new da Vinci® Xi™ robotic system. This special piece of technology allows for greater capabilities in the operating room while providing minimally invasive surgery for patients.
Dr. Jacob Oran, general surgeon at Columbus General Surgery, and four robotics-trained nurses completed the first surgery — an inguinal hernia repair — on Aug. 27, 2021. That same day, surgeons and surgical staff completed three additional cases using the system.
“The first day could not have gone better,” said Sue Hrnicek, surgical services director at the hospital. “The patients, staff and doctors were excited. It was perfect.”
The surgical services department currently has four dedicated nurses trained on the equipment to assist surgeons who specialize in general surgery, gynecology and urology. Eventually, the full surgical services team will be trained.
“Our four nurses volunteered to complete extensive training from the company that designed the system,” said Hrnicek. “We also performed site visits at other Nebraska hospitals who own a da Vinci® Xi™ system, to observe cases before the robot arrived.”
