Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center reached 25,000 minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgical procedures, adding them to the exclusive list of just 1 percent of hospitals nationwide that have accomplished this milestone.
The robotic surgery program at HUMC, part of Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health, was the first in the state to perform robotic surgery over 20 years ago, and the procedure is meant to lower the risk of infection, allow for decreased pain post-surgery and expedite recovery time, according to a July 19 news release from the health system.
Additionally, it was the first to perform and reach 1,000 single-port robotic surgeries, which provides physicians and patients with the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. Patients have traveled up to 1,200 miles to receive the center's single-port robot surgeries, and surgeons have traveled internationally to learn from HUMC experts, as the hospital performs 25 percent of these procedures in the country.
The number of patients who have undergone robotic surgery at HUMC could fill the Red Bull Arena soccer stadium in Harrison, N.J., the release said.