Meet an Essential Member of the Surgical Team You May Not Know

In operating rooms throughout Baptist Health, a crucial team member has joined the surgical field. This essential addition is a robot, and it is contributing to the precision and efficiency of medical interventions from orthopedic and thoracic procedures to appendectomies and bariatric surgeries.

More than 64,000 robotic procedures have been performed at Baptist Health, with the health system’s South Miami Hospital recording more than 27,000 cases. This places the hospital among the top 20 robotic programs in the country, according to Intuitive Surgical.

(Watch now: In operating rooms throughout Baptist Health, a crucial team member has joined the surgical field. See how a robot is contributing to the precision and efficiency of medical interventions, from orthopedic and thoracic procedures to appendectomies and bariatric surgeries. Video by Anthony Vivian.)

“It’s an evolving technology that has revolutionized how we perform surgery, and we are excited to be among the most high-performing programs,” said John Diaz, M.D., director of robotic surgery and chair of the Robotics and Innovations in Surgery Subcommittee at Baptist Health and chief of gynecologic oncology at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute. “Studies show that programs with high volumes have better patient outcomes, and as the tools get better and smaller, our ability to perform less invasive surgeries with less blood loss, less chance of infection, minimal scarring and a quicker recovery time for patients improves.”

John Diaz, M.D., director of robotic surgery and chair of the Robotics and Innovations in Surgery Subcommittee at Baptist Health and chief of gynecologic oncology at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute

Stacey Lieberman, 53, underwent a robotic hysterectomy at South Miami Hospital in 2023 after learning she was BRCA-positive. The Hollywood, Florida, resident did not have cancer, but the genetic mutation put her at high risk of developing a variety of cancers, most notably ovarian, uterine and breast cancer. She’d already had a prophylactic double mastectomy and was ready to take the next step to up her odds of avoiding cancer.

“When I was taken into the OR, they drove the robot in and Dr. Diaz sat at the console and maneuvered the instruments with something like a joystick,” Ms. Lieberman recalled. “I just thought it was unbelievable that they could do that. My incisions were very small, and I went home the same day.”

Dr. John Diaz at the controls during robotic-assisted surgery at Miami Cancer Institute

The majority of hysterectomies at Baptist Health are performed using minimally invasive techniques, most of those with the robot, Dr. Diaz said. “While not yet the standard nationally, we are trying to move things in that direction. The majority of hysterectomies in the U.S. are still being done with open incisions. Baptist Health is unique.”

Surgical robots got their start when the U.S. military and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were looking for ways to provide battlefield trauma surgery and emergency telesurgery in space. Early adopters in medicine were urologic and gynecologic surgeons.

Among the most commonly performed robotic procedures are gall bladder removal, hernia repair, cardiothoracic surgery, colorectal surgery, hysterectomy and joint replacement. The robot is not performing surgery on its own but is manipulated by the surgeon.

Jennifer Gaffey of Highland Beach, Florida, was in constant pain due to a bad knee. “I was always very active,” she said. “Skiing, gymnastics, cheerleading. Years of wear and tear and my knee was down to bone on bone with a meniscus tear.”

When injections no longer eased the pain, she turned to orthopedic surgeon Edgar Handal, M.D., at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health. In June, she had a robot-assisted knee replacement.

“It’s fabulous. I couldn’t function before,” the 65-year-old business owner said. “I did my research. The robot is much less invasive than traditional surgery and I had full confidence in Dr. Handal. I would do it again in a heartbeat. A month later, I was back to doing everything.”

Robotic surgery typically involves three, four or five small incisions so that doctors can insert the robotic arms that include a camera and surgical instruments. But physicians at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute are now using a new, single-incision technique to perform robot-assisted surgery on select patients with head and neck cancers and urologic cancers. Soon, the single-port procedure will also be available to treat some gynecologic cancers.

Dr. Diaz recommends that patients ask their surgeons if robot-assisted surgery is available to treat their condition. They should also discuss the pros and cons. “In the hands of experienced surgeons, robotic technology can be extremely beneficial,” he said.

The Center for Robotic Surgery at Baptist Health South Miami Hospital is designated as a Center of Excellence for Robotic Surgery by the Clinical Robotic Surgery Association and a Center for Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.