Surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital on Westside reaches milestone using robots

Dr. Guillermo Higa, a general and bariatric surgeon at Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital, reached a significant milestone last week.

He performed his 1,000th surgery using the Da Vinci Xi Robot, since joining the hospital in 2019.

During these procedures, Higa uses his hands and feet to control the robot's arms, that are positioned over the patient, according to a news release from Carondelet Health Network.

Higa operates the robot from a console in the operating room. The small incisions result in smaller scars, less blood loss and shorter hospital stays for the patients, the news release said.

"It's very difficult for the surgeon to be standing up for many hours, with their arms up, trying to do a difficult and challenging surgery, when you could be sitting on your console and moving your instruments, and seeing the patient's organs in 3D with a better visualization," Dr. Higa told KGUN 9.

Higa's high number of operations makes him one of the highest-performing Da Vinci robotic surgeons for weight loss in the country.

"We are incredibly proud of Dr. Higa and his contributions to the field of robotic surgery," David Ziolkowski, St. Mary’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer, said in the news release. "This achievement not only highlights the advanced surgical options available at our hospital but also reinforces our commitment to improving patient outcomes and offering the best possible care to our southern Arizona community."