Beebe Healthcare launches Center for Robotic Surgery

Beebe Healthcare launched its new Center for Robotic Surgery with a demo of the da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system June 25.

Invited guests met incoming surgeon Dr. Kurt Wehberg, chief of the new center, and tried their hands operating a demonstration surgical robot. 

The health system expects surgeon-assisted robotic surgeries to begin this month, with thoracic and lung surgeries to occur first. Going forward, the program is expected to include robotic gynecological and general surgery.  

With robotic-assisted surgery, surgeons use a 3D high-definition camera for a magnified clear view. The surgeon sits at a console beside the patient and operates with tiny instruments to make small incisions.

Wehberg, who directed the robotic cardiothoracic program at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, also serves as Beebe’s cardiothoracic surgery co-chief and vice president of clinical innovation. He said robotic surgeries benefit patients in many ways, including fewer complications and readmissions after surgery.

“Robotics equalize outcomes for patients so it’s very consistent,” Wehberg said. “Surgeons and teams can’t use this machinery unless they meet a level of excellence.” 

Clinicians undergo intensive robotics training, including simulated surgery, so surgeons can practice surgical situations to reach proficiency. 

Wehberg said patients experience less pain, smaller incisions and lower infection rates, and robotics saves costs for hospitals and patients.

“And, surgeons will last longer working with the robot,” Wehberg said. “When the surgeons get to be 60 years old, they get neck and back problems. When you’re doing robotics, you’re sitting ergonomically.”

Beebe Healthcare President and CEO Jeffrey M. Fried said Wehberg will work with a multidisciplinary clinical team to identify ways to bring additional innovative programs to Beebe.

For more information, go to beebehealthcare.org/robotic-surgery.