Kristy Hawley, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of GI, Trauma, and Endocrine Surgery in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, made department history in September, performing the first robotic emergency surgery as a member of the trauma and acute care surgery service (TACS) at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.
The cholecystectomy — or gallbladder removal surgery — was performed on a patient with a high body mass index (BMI). In general, robotic surgery makes it easier to operate on high-BMI patients, Hawley says, as it eliminates the need to navigate around a heavy abdominal wall.
We talked more with Hawley about the September operation and what it means for the future of emergency robotic surgery at the CU Department of Surgery.