Sharp Memorial Hospital among first in the world to use new robot for surgeries

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Sharp Memorial Hospital has become one of the first hospitals in the world and the first in San Diego County to receive and use a new state-of-the-art surgical robot, according to a release Monday.

The hospital said doctors performed surgeries using the new da Vinci 5 robot last Friday.

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The da Vinci 5 was designed by Intuitive Surgical, the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgeries and a medical device manufacturer. It is the fifth generation of its kind, with more than 150 enhancements since the previous model.

“We are thrilled to be one of the first hospitals in California — and one of only 14 health systems in the world — that have early access to the new da Vinci 5 robot before its wide release,” said Christopher Walker, the chief operating officer at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

According to the hospital, using robots during surgical procedures can lead to shorter hospital stays, less blood loss, less infection and scarring, and a faster recovery time.

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On Friday, the robot was utilized by Dr. Pamela Lee, chair of the Department of Surgery, and Dr. Afshin Bahador, a gynecological oncologist.

“We utilized the da Vinci 5 on a colon surgery on Friday, and the experience was better than I had hoped,” Dr. Lee said. “The ability to feel the tissue and control more aspects of the operation from the console was revolutionary.”

Dr. Bahador added, “As a surgeon, I am very excited to have this new surgical tool to perform higher quality and more efficient surgery on our patients with complex gynecologic and gynecologic oncology conditions.”

Sharp Memorial said the da Vinci 5 is its 14th surgical robot on campus.

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