TAMPA, Fla. — Robots are now part of Tampa General Hospital’s spine surgery program.
Dr. Patrick Kim, a neurosurgeon with TGH and USF Health, says the minimally-invasive approach means smaller incisions and quicker recovery times for patients.
“The robots are able to see through the skin to the spine, so it allows us to place the screws through a tiny little incision. So all the days that are spent in the hospital recovering from the muscle damage are now skipped and patients can recover that much quicker,” said Kim.
He says the robot helps doctors pre-plan and execute some of the most complex cases.
“The robots have the X-ray vision, which can see through the skin and guides me to what I need to do,” said Kim, who adds he also uses endoscopes to perform surgery.
Kim says he performed Adam Brown’s spine surgery using an endoscope. Brown had a cyst on his spine.
“Over the summer, I started having extreme low back pain and leg pain, probably the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” said Brown.
The 48-year-old said he was back to his daily five-mile walks along Bayshore a day and a half after surgery. Before the health scare, Brown says he had 5,263 consecutive days without missing a single walk.
“I found out later that I could have literally died from how serious the cyst was. I knew I was risking paralysis as well, but he gave me back my life,” Brown said of Kim.
The neurosurgeon says having different forms of cutting-edge technology for spine surgery will only continue to help improve patient outcomes.
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