Crestwood Hospital is the first hospital in Alabama to use brand-new surgical robot technology.
Crestwood Medical Center, here in Huntsville, is now the first hospital in Alabama to use a brand-new surgical robot technology on a patient!
Dr. Ray Sheppard Jr. at Crestwood Medical Center told WAAY 31 on Thursday that the new robot is called the DB-5, and it’s more efficient than anything they’ve used before.
It can be used for a variety of procedures, including general surgery, gynecology, urology, and even ENT.
He says it’s all about precision. The robot allows surgeons to operate through much smaller incisions with better control, which he says leads to better outcomes for patients.
"We've noticed that the patients seem to have less pain, and so that always produces a better recovery,” said Sheppard. “A lot of the procedures we do allow patients to go home the same day, whereas with a different style of surgery, they might have to spend several nights in the hospital."
And when it comes to safety, Sheppard says they’ve seen less blood loss during procedures and fewer potential complications. Crestwood Medical Center urology specialist Keith Jimenez says this technology will make a real difference.
“We’re hoping to make a difference in a variety of these cases—whether it’s colon cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, gallbladder problems, hernias, or hysterectomies. These are procedures that have been done for close to a century, but now they can be done in a way that often lets patients go home the same day,” said Jimenez.
Still, Crestwood is no stranger to surgical robots. Officials say they first started using them back in 2012. Right now, they have three surgical robots on site.
Just last November, Crestwood celebrated its 10,000th robotic-assisted surgery—and they say they’re looking forward to many more!
