North Oaks Celebrates 10 Years of Robotic Surgery

North Oaks Surgical Services is celebrating a special milestone in 2021 – the 10-year anniversary of its life-changing robotic surgery program.

North Oaks Medical Center made history on May 4, 2011, when it became the first Northshore hospital to utilize the daVinci® robotic surgical system. In the early days of the program, only gynecologic and urologic procedures were performed with the new robot, lovingly named Oaklee. Now, our team of surgeons perform minimally-invasive robotic colorectal, general, gynecologic and urologic surgery.

North Oaks continues to invest in innovative robotic surgery solutions for its patients. In 2020, we upgraded to the daVinci XI® robot, the most advanced technology available for the treatment of a variety of complex diseases.

This year, North Oaks added a new robot to our arsenal of surgical solutions – the ROSA® Knee System, which delivers extreme precision for total knee replacements.

Let’s take a look at how the North Oaks Surgical Services team has mastered and expanded robotic surgery to offer our community the best options close to home.

• 18 daVinci® trained robotic surgeons
• 4 ROSA® Knee System trained orthopedic surgeons
• 5 Robot-Assisted Surgical Specialties: Colorectal, General, Urology, Gynecology & Orthopaedics

The robotic procedures we perform include:
• Bladder surgery
• Colorectal surgery
• Endometriosis resection
• Hernia repair
• Hysterectomy
• Prostatectomy
• Renal surgery
• Removal of fibroids, fallopian tubes, ovaries and ovarian cysts
• Total knee replacements

How is robotic surgery different from traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy?

Robotic surgery is an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy. Robotic surgery involves complex, delicate and minimally–invasive techniques that are performed at the hands of highly trained surgeons. Our state-of-the-art robots enhance our surgeons’ vision and precision, which is beneficial to a patient’s post-operative recovery process.

Benefits of robotic surgery include:
• Smaller incisions / less noticeable scarring
• Increased precision
• Quicker recovery
• Less pain and blood loss
• Shorter hospital stay
• Fewer complications

Watch our daVinci® robot in action.

Ready to talk about robotic surgery?

It’s important to know that robotic surgery isn't an option for everyone. Let’s talk about your condition and choose the best treatment plan together. Contact our skilled surgeons today.

Robotic Trained Surgeons

General & Colorectal Surgeons
Dorothy A. Lewis, MD*
Daniel A. Linarello, MD
F. Jeff Liner, MD
Darren M. Rowan, MD*

Gynecological Surgeons
Brian G. Ashford, MD
William F. Beacham, MD
LaVias Burns, MD
Jaime M. Edwards, MD*
Dwan S. Mabry, MD
Carissa May, MD
Kimberly Neathamer-Guillory, MD*
April A. Sandifer, MD*

Orthopedic Surgeons
Patrick Barousse, MD*
Brett Chiasson, MD
Vince Lands, MD*
Robert McAfee, MD*

Urology Surgeons
Jason Chiang, MD
Stephen M. Graham, MD*
Jay William Heintz, MD
Robert B. Kidd, MD
Brad M. Lake, MD*

*Employed by North Oaks Physician Group