Grand Island, Neb.-based CHI Health St. Francis performed its first robotic-assisted surgery, NBC affiliate KSNB reported Feb. 18.
Anton Simorov, MD, performed the outpatient gallbladder removal at the hospital's 37,500-square-foot surgery center that opened in May 2021, the report said. Dr. Simorov used the DaVinci Xi robotic system for the procedure.
"Instead of a large incision, we operate through several tiny holes less than one centimeter in length," Dr. Simorov told KSNB. "Because of the small incisions, there is less blood loss, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery times."