General and Colorectal
Providence Medford Medical Center performs robotic-assisted hernia repairs, gastrointestinal procedures, anti-reflux surgeries and colorectal surgeries in Medford on patients from both Southern Oregon and Northern California areas. Our robotic-certified general surgeons specialize in these procedures and offer the most extensive robotics experience in the region.
Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery offers significant advantages over conventional open approaches to gastrointestinal and hernia procedures. Patients generally experience less pain, fewer complications and a faster return to their normal lifestyle.
Some of the biggest improvements that robotic technology has brought to our patients have been seen in colorectal surgery. In Jackson County, three out of four people who had colorectal surgery in 2014 had open surgeries (Medicare data provided by Intuitive). In 2017, at Providence Medford, nearly three out of four of our colorectal surgery patients were able to have minimally invasive surgery instead of open surgery, with hospital stays dropping from an average of seven days to three.
Surgeons must be certified to use the da Vinci® Surgical System. Learn more about our robotic-certified general surgeons in Southern Oregon.
Providence Medford Medical Center repairs these hernias regularly with robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. Robotic technology allows surgeons to see the surgical area with magnified 3-D vision, and the robotic instruments allow greater precision than conventional laparoscopy. This often results in less pain that requires minimal to no narcotic medication. A 2018 study found that patients who had robotic surgery for inguinal hernias had fewer complications in the first 30 days after surgery than those who had open surgery.
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When acid reflux, or GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease), causes severe symptoms that can’t be controlled with lifestyle changes or medication, or when medication side effects cause concern, surgery may offer a solution. Robotic-assisted reflux surgery offers the advantages of 3-D visualization and highly articulated instruments that can operate precisely in confined spaces. Patients generally go home the day after the procedure with successful symptom relief.
Colon resection surgery involves removing a part of the colon that is diseased – often due to diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease or cancer – and then reconnecting the healthy tissue. Robotic technology has brought about great improvements in colorectal surgery, including significantly shorter hospital stays – sometimes as little as one day – and fewer complications. Providence Medford Medical Center is the only Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery in Southern Oregon offering da Vinci Xi robotic technology for colorectal surgery.