Robotic surgery has become a staple in surgical care, offering patients less invasive procedures, decreased hospital stays and faster recovery. Recently, WVU Medicine took a step to increase the number of robotic devices available for surgeons with the purchase of two da Vinci Surgical System Xi robots.

“WVU Medicine is committed to growing and advancing the surgical care we provide,” Kristy Ward, M.D., M.A.S., director of Gynecologic Oncology at the WVU Cancer Institute and chair of the J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Robotics Committee, said. “It is important that we equip our current and future surgeons with the tools they need to expertly care for our patients.”

This most recent technology acquisition brings the total number of surgical robots on the J.W. Ruby Memorial campus to seven, including six Xi and one single-port device, making it the largest robotic surgical program in West Virginia and one of the largest in the tri-state area.

“We are proud of this accomplishment and what it means for our community, both now and in the future,” Ward said.

Currently used in cardiac, thoracic, urology, gynecology, bariatric, ENT, colorectal, liver/pancreas, pediatric and general surgeries, the fleet is also used in a training and educational capacity. The WVU Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety (STEPS) at the WVU Health Sciences Center is home to a dedicated Xi robot, which is used to train surgeons from across the region as well as Ruby surgical residents.

Ward anticipates continual growth for the robotic surgery program, including equipment, services provided and surgeons to render those services.

“Most departments are recruiting new robotic surgeons,” she said. “We are going to continue to grow our program at Ruby and across all of the WVU Health System.”

For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.