Robotic Surgery

If you need to have surgery, we know you want to get back to everyday life as quickly as possible. Robotic surgery can often help. By using robotic technology, your surgeon can perform complex procedures through very small incisions, resulting in a shorter hospital stay, less pain and discomfort and faster recovery times.

Want to know if robotic surgery is an option for you? Discuss it with your surgeon. Our experts would be happy to discuss whether you are a candidate for this type of state-of-the art surgery.

How Robotic Surgery Works

At Bronson Battle Creek and Bronson Methodist hospitals, we use some of the most advanced surgical systems for treating patients with minimally invasive surgery. During your procedure, a very small camera and miniature surgical instruments are used by the surgeon. The surgeon works at a console in the operating room and uses controls to operate the robotic arms and instruments.

The camera allows the surgeon to see a magnified, 3-D image of the operating site which makes it easier to see the surgical area. The robotic surgical systems transfer the surgeon’s exact hand and finger movements to the operating site. This allows the surgeon a greater range of motion.

Once the procedure has been completed, you will either have a short stay in our recovery unit and go home or have a short stay at the hospital before going home. Either way, your time in the hospital will be much shorter than a traditional surgical procedure hospital stay.

Procedures Performed with Robotic Surgery

The following are some of the most common surgical procedures performed at Bronson to treat many health conditions:

• Abdominoperineal resection – Removal of the anus, rectum and sigmoid colon (S-shaped part of the large intestine) due to diseases or cancers of the colon system
• Adrenalectomy – Removal of one or both of your adrenal glands, most commonly performed as a way to treat a tumor.
• Cholecystectomy – Removal of all or part of the gall bladder as a treatment option if you experience frequent pain from gallstones (hardened deposits) that block the flow of fluid
• Colectomy – Removal of all or part of the colon (large intestine) to either treat or prevent diseases that may affect this part of your body
• Coronary artery bypass – Procedure to improve blood flow to the heart by placing a piece of a healthy vein from elsewhere in the body above and below the blockage or narrowed area to route blood flow around it
• Cystectomy – Removal of the urinary bladder or an abnormal cyst
• Hernia repair (ventral/inguinal) – Surgery to fix tears in the abdominal wall
• Hysterectomy – Removal of all or part of the uterus which may be done to treat many conditions including cancer, chronic pain and uterine prolapse (uterus slides from its normal position into the vaginal canal)
• Knee surgery – Performed to repair fractures, damaged or diseased joints, muscles or bones
  • Knee revision - replacement of a failed prior implant, due to wear and tear over time
  • Partial knee joint replacement - Also referred to as unicompartmental knee replacement and is a less invasive surgery for patients who have more limited arthritis in their knee joint. The surgery involves a smaller incision to only remove the damaged cartilage in one part of the joint and replace it with an implant
  • Total knee joint replacement - Also referred to as total knee arthroplasty, is suited for patients with advanced arthritis or damage to more than two compartments of the knee. The damaged cartilage is removed from the upper and lower knee joint and is replaced with an artificial implant
• Liver resection – Removal of part of the liver to help treat liver and some types of colon cancer
• Low anterior resection – Surgery to connect the rectum to the colon
• Mitral valve repair – Surgery to either repair or replace the mitral valve in your heart to treat either a narrowing or leakage of the valve
• Myomectomy – Removal of fibroids, or noncancerous growths, from the uterus to help with bleeding and pain
• Nephrectomy – Removal of all or part of a kidney once it has become damaged and no longer functions properly
• Nephroureterectomy – Removal of the renal pelvis, kidney, ureter and bladder cuff to help increase the likelihood of survival if you are suffering from transitional cell cancer which is a type of cancer that affects the urinary system
• Pancreas resection – Removal of part of the pancreas to help treat tumors
• Prostatectomy – Removal of all or part of the prostate gland and is performed to help with the treatment of cancer
• Pyeloplasty – Surgery to correct a blockage that has occurred between the kidney and the ureter (tube that drains the kidney into the bladder)
• Rectopexy – Surgery used to repair the rectum and restore it to its original place within your colon
• Sacrocolpopexy – Surgery to fix the vaginal vault (top of the vagina) in women who have had a hysterectomy
• Splenectomy – Removal of all or part of the spleen that has become diseased over time
• Thoracotomy – Incision into the chest wall during surgery that allows access to the lungs, heart, aorta, trachea or diaphragm
• Tubal ligation – A permanent form of birth control in which a woman's fallopian tubes are clamped and blocked or severed and sealed, either of which prevents eggs from reaching the uterus for implantation
• Urachal remnant resection – Removal of all or part of the urachus (fibrous remnant within the canal that drains the urinary bladder of the fetus) due to diseases of the abdomen or urinary system within your body

Experienced Robotic Surgery Team

Our surgeons at Bronson have more experience and perform more robotic surgery procedures than any other hospital in the region. This means that you can trust our team to not only help fix a wide range of health conditions and diseases but also get you back to living your life more quickly.