San Juan Regional offers public demos of robotic surgery system
San Juan Regional’s da Vinci robot has already been used in 1,000 surgeries, and the new demos show how some care may stay closer to home in Farmington.
San Juan Regional Medical Center opened public demonstrations of its da Vinci Xi robotic surgery system in Farmington, putting a machine the hospital says has already been used in 1,000 robotic surgeries in front of San Juan County residents. The hospital says the platform is designed for minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery and can help surgeons work through a few small incisions, which may mean less pain and faster recovery for patients.
For people in the Four Corners who need surgery, the practical question is whether more care can be done locally instead of sending patients far from home. San Juan Regional says the system is part of expanding urologic care at the hospital, and it is also used in broader minimally invasive surgery offerings, showing that the robot is part of everyday surgical work in Farmington rather than a one-off display.
The hospital has also given the robot a name, Vinny, after a naming contest that drew 160 submissions from school children across the Four Corners region. That turn from medical device to familiar local fixture has helped San Juan Regional present the robot to the public in ways that are easier for families and patients to follow.
This is not the first time the hospital has invited the community to get a closer look. San Juan Regional previously brought in a full-sized, traveling da Vinci surgical robot and scheduled it at the main hospital across from the Surgical Waiting Area for two days, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so visitors could see the technology firsthand.
San Juan Regional says its history in the Four Corners dates to 1910, which gives added weight to any change that can keep more procedures in Farmington. For patients who might otherwise travel for surgery, the key measure will be whether the robotic program continues to translate into more local options, shorter trips and a recovery that starts closer to home.
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