Covenant High Plains Surgery Center in Lubbock, Texas, has become the first in the region to perform a robotic gastric sleeve bariatric procedure using the Da Vinci X robot.
The procedure was led by Adam Purtell, MD, and Travis Eggl, DO, surgeons at West Texas Bariatrics at SWAT Surgical Associates in Lubbock.
The procedure is most commonly performed using minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical techniques, but there are cases that benefit from robotic intervention, according to a Feb. 15 press release.
Patients who undergo gastric sleeve procedures often lose 60 percent of their body weight in 12 to 18 months, reducing medical conditions including hypertension, diabetes, back and joint pain, and sleep apnea.