The da Vinci Xi Surgical System is used for better precision and visualization during general surgery. Butler Memorial Hospital paid $2.5 million for the system, which has been used for more than 30 surgeries since May.

Robots have come to Butler, and they're performing surgery.

Butler Memorial Hospital acquired robotic equipment to aid in performing surgeries in its general surgery department.

“It's the gold standard of care,” said Dr. Tony Maalouf, who along with Dr. Meng-G Martin Lee, uses the equipment in surgery.

For more than 30 cases since May, Maalouf and Lee have operated the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, a four-arm machine, from a console that includes controls and a camera.

Maalouf said the advantages of robotic surgery are the arms' better range of motion than a human arm, as well as being able to see minuscule anatomy better.

“You're able to move the anatomy much more safely and efficiently,” he said.

The machinery, which cost $2.5 million and requires annual maintenance, was purchased from Intuitive Surgical, which runs the da Vinci Surgery System. Maalouf said robotic surgery has been used by hospitals since the mid-1990s and originated in the military.

“For a long time it's been on our radar in Butler, but it was not perfected yet,” he said. “The last two to three years they have made huge advancements that made robotic surgery very advantageous.”

The robotic arms can move at a 90-degree angle. They are commonly used for hernia and gull bladder surgeries, but also are used for surgeries that fix reflux issues.

Maalouf said the hospital's goal is to extend robotic surgery to its OBGYN and urology departments.

He also said that while any surgery carries risks including bleeding injuries to surrounding structures, the accuracy and improved visualization of robotic surgery decreases possible complications.

“It's enabling me to do much safer surgery on patients,” Maalouf said.

While the cost for robotic surgery is about 5 percent to 10 percent more, according to Maalouf, the experience is overall less costly.

“Whenever you use the technology, that cuts down on the admission rate and hospital stay and complication rate,” Maalouf said. “If you take that into consideration it's by far less expensive than the previous surgery.”

The hospital stay is decreased because robotic surgery is done with more precision so there is less pain post-operation.

“That was really beneficial to our patients' population in general,” Maalouf said.

While Maalouf said there won't be official data on the success of surgeries for six to 12 months, patients are pleased.

“At the outset from the beginning we can tell from the cases that we've done that the patients are doing very well,” he said.