A San Diego-area hospital became the first hospital in the world to perform a general surgery using the new da Vinci X robotic surgical system.
The surgery was performed at Sharp Coronado Hospital this week after the hospital received FDA clearance on May 30.
The da Vinci X robot is designed to best handle surgical procedures for the lower abdomen, Coronado hospital officials said. It is controlled by a surgeon and has robotic arms that hold surgical tools such as scalpels and scissors.
"The da Vinci robot is an exciting addition to Sharp Coronado’s surgical capabilities," said Susan Stone, CEO of Sharp Coronado Hospital. “We are thrilled to be a pioneer in the application of the device, and look forward to providing our patients the wider array of minimally invasive surgical options that it allows our surgeons to perform."
The robot was created and distributed by Intuitive Surgical.
