Mr. Roboto: Lodi Memorial celebrates major milestone
May 23—Hospitals across the country employ surgical teams that perform 1,000 procedures in a year.
Most facilities can't boast that a single surgeon can perform that many in a lifetime, but Adventist Health Lodi Memorial did just that this week.
Hospital staff gathered in the second-floor cafe Tuesday to congratulate Dr. John Lee for recently completing his 1,000th robotic surgery at Lodi Memorial.
Lee has more than a decade of experience as a surgeon, as has been with the hospital for six years performing surgeries with the da Vinci Surgery System.
"Not many people know we have this robotic equipment in the hospital, and this is a big thing considering we are an excellent surgery center in the Central Valley," Lee said. "This is a big accomplishment for myself, as well as our whole team in the surgery unit."
A general surgeon, Lee is one of 14 team members at Lodi Memorial, and all of them use one robotic unit to conduct operations.
The team is able to perform general surgeries, as well as gynecological, urological, colorectal and bariatric procedures.
Adventists Health said there are many benefits to robotic-assisted surgical procedures, including fewer side effects, less scarring, minimal invasiveness and a shorter hospital stay.
The hospital said the da Vinci System enhances their surgeons' control and allows more precision, greater flexibility and a better view of the operating site when compared with traditional techniques.
With its stereoscopic 3D imaging and the ability to use the system's fully articulating robotic wrists to manipulate a wide range of robotic surgical tools, surgeons can combine technology with their own skills and talents to complete successful procedures.
"Not all surgeries can be done with a robot," Lee said. "You have to take considerations of the complexity, the urgency, all these factors. But we're trying to do more robotic surgeries here."
Lee graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1995 and then completed a general surgery residency at the National Institute of Cancer, Paraguay.
He then completed a minimally invasive surgery fellowship and general surgery residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Most recently, he worked at Marshall Medical Center in Placerville and Riverside County
Regional Medical Center in Southern California before coming to Lodi Memorial.
Lee has held numerous teaching positions at medical schools in the United States, including University of California, Riverside School of Medicine and Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
In addition, he has authored numerous articles and publications about minimally invasive surgery.
Hospital president Brooke McCullough said Lee has been a great addition to Lodi Memorial, and that the accomplishment is not just about him, but what the hospital is doing for the community.
"Because with minimally invasive surgery, you have better outcomes," McCullough said. "People can get back to work faster, get back to their normal life. Dr. Lee has been an amazing addition to our surgical team, and right now, our hospital is performing more robotic surgeries than most hospitals across the country on a single robot. It's really quite amazing that in this little community, we have such an accomplished surgeon."
