People in Georgia now have access to the newest and most advanced robotic surgical technology. Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville is the first hospital in the state to perform robotic surgery with the da Vinci 5 surgical system.

Ron Lewis, MD, medical director of Perioperative Services at NGMC and a general surgeon with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group, performed the first procedure using the new robotic system.

“The da Vinci 5 is the most technologically advanced robotic system,” said Dr. Lewis. “It provides the best visualization and feedback to surgeons during an operation, allowing more precise movements, and is the first fully integrated system which allows the surgeon to handle more aspects of the surgery without need for the support team to assist. This will translate into shorter surgery times and improved outcomes for patients.”

Da Vinci 5 is Intuitive’s newest platform and offers more than 150 design innovations. As with all da Vinci surgical systems, the surgeon is 100% in control of the robotic-assisted system, which translates their hand movements into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the patient’s body.

NGMC acquired its first da Vinci surgical system in 2008 and has expanded to nine robotic surgical systems across two hospital campuses in Gainesville and Braselton. NGMC has more than 50 trained surgeons on medical staff who have performed more than 24,000 robotic procedures combined.

Chad Copper, MD, a general surgeon with Longstreet Clinic, also utilized the new robotic system for procedures this week.

“We’re proud to offer state-of-the-art technologies to continue providing the same high-quality care to our patients,” said Dr. Lewis.

To learn more about surgical services at NGMC, visit nghs.com/surgery.