Robotic surgery milestone in mid-Michigan [Video]

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Medical technology has come a long way–and five hospitals in Michigan now offer robotic technology.

Here in mid-Michigan, University of Michigan Health-Sparrow just reached a milestone, completing 15,000 robotic-assisted procedures. Using technology, surgeons say they can perform operations in a less invasive way.

Only tiny incisions are needed, which creates less pain for the patients. It also makes for minimal scarring, and patients recover more quickly.

Sparrow doctors find new way to tackle lung cancer with robotic help

This da Vinci technology can be used in more than 100 types of procedures, including cardiothoracic, urology and bariatric surgery. It was first introduced in 2005, and officials say in the last five years alone they have done 5,000 surgeries.

6 News spoke with with Margaret Kavanagh, who underwent robotic surgery from Sparrow. She said it’s important for people to know exactly what robotic surgery means, which is that surgeons are controlling …