WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital has launched a robotic surgery program to offer minimally invasive surgical procedures to patients. Robotic-assisted surgery offers several benefits to patients, including less pain, shorter hospital stays, quicker recovery, smaller scars, and improved patient satisfaction.

While other WellSpan locations across the region have had access to this innovative technology, the addition of robotic-assisted surgery at this hospital provides residents of the Waynesboro area with the ability to utilize this service close to home.

"We are excited to bring robotic surgery to WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital and offer residents of the area the benefits of minimally invasive procedures using the da Vinci® robotic surgery system," said Melissa Dubrow, vice president of WellSpan Health and president of WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital.

During robotic-assisted surgery, the surgeon sits at a specially designed console in the operating room near the patient and performs the surgery by moving robotic instruments. One instrument holds a lighted endoscopic camera that provides the surgeon with a three-dimensional, high-definition image of the surgical field inside the patient's body.

The entire surgical team can see the field via a large viewing monitor. The other robotic arms hold instruments, which the surgeon moves at the console. These incisions made for robotic-assisted surgery are about the size of a dime, and usually can be covered with a small dressing about the size of a bandage after the procedure.

To learn more about robotic-assisted surgery at WellSpan Health, visit daVinci Robotic Surgery - WellSpan Health.