Charlton Hospital uses surgical robot

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) -- A Fall River hospital has become the first south of Boston to perform gallbladder surgery using a new robot.

Led by Dr. James Hermenegildo surgical team performed the gallbladder removal procedure, called a cholecystectomy, using Single-Site instruments on a da Vinci Si Surgical System . Dr. Hermenegildo is one of only a handful of surgeons in the country who have been trained to perform this proceedure.

During the surgery, the patient’s gallbladder was removed through one tiny incision in the belly button, making it almost scarless. The gallbladder was removed through a one-inch incision.

“Neither robotic surgery nor single-incision surgery is new, but combining the two to remove the gallbladder requires highly skilled surgeons with advanced training and special equipment,” Dr. Richard Miller, Physician-in-Chief for Surgery at Southcoast Health System said in a news release. “To be the first hospital in our region to offer this technically advanced surgery demonstrates Southcoast’s leadership in providing patients with the most up-to-date minimally invasive surgical options.”

Doctors say surgery can be performed in under an hour with the da Vinci system -- with the patient going home after the procedure is complete.

More than a million American have their gallbladders removed every year.