HCA Florida Trinity Hospital surgical advancements combine artificial intelligence with new Robotic-Assisted Surgery

One of the many advances  HCA Florida Trinity Hospital’s latest surgical robot offers is its computing power, which is 10,000 times more powerful than previous versions.  This allows for more virtual reality images to be used alongside the surgical view assisting the surgeon both in planning and performing the procedure more efficiently and accurately. 

Mathew Ninan, MD, Thoracic Surgeon, recently performed two lung resections using the new surgical robot’s AI/VR system. According to Ninan, the new technology allows for safer surgery by giving an exact replica of the patient's unique anatomy.  The segmentation profile benefits the patient by allowing the surgeon to perform a resection by removing less lung tissue than a lobectomy. Using AI/VR helps a surgeon visualize the exact location of the tumor in the lung, thus allowing us to remove less lung tissue with the cancer.

“Surgical treatment for lung cancer has undergone revolutionary changes over the last few years. We are now able to remove the tumors saving normal lung tissue. The latest robotic surgery techniques combined with use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality will greatly help patients,” said Mathew Ninan, MD, Thoracic Surgeon.

Traditionally, we had to remove an entire lobe to cure the cancer, and the patient lost more functional lung tissue. Now we can remove a segment of lung, but we have to ensure we are removing it accurately so that the tumor does not recur. This is where the AI/VR technology helps us. Removing less lung helps the patient save more functional lung, helping them breathe better postoperatively, especially in those patients with already poor lung function. Thus we are able to offer curative surgery for the elderly and those with poorer lung function.

More information on minimally invasive surgical options at HCA Florida Trinity Hospital.