STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville recently completed its first robotic-assisted surgery in a newly expanded operating room (OR).

“The completion of our expanded OR with the new surgical robot enables physicians on our medical staff to perform minimally invasive procedures here in Erath County,” said Claudia Eisenmann, FACHE, president of Texas Health Stephenville. “Patients do not have to drive far to receive the care that they need. We continually look at what we offer our community and how we can partner with our community to enhance care offered here.”

Texas Health Stephenville recently completed a $12.5 million renovation to its five operating rooms. Besides the new equipment, the operating areas feature a contemporary design with increased space, new technology, a new nurses station and expanded sterile processing areas. The two-year project was completed in phases to avoid disrupting patient care.

The hospital’s new robot acts as an assistant for a variety of surgical treatments, including gallbladder, colon and gynecological surgeries.

William Witham, M.D., a surgeon on the medical staff at Texas Health Stephenville, performed the hospital’s first robot-assisted surgery – a hernia repair.

“The robot enables me to use smaller, more precise movements, which leads to better patient outcomes and quicker recovery,” Witham said.

As with all da Vinci models, the surgeon controls the robotic arms which uses tiny instruments to bend and rotate far beyond the abilities of the human hand.

As a system, Texas Health has 67 similar robotic systems.

“This technology has proven to be a tremendous benefit for patients across North Texas and we’re happy to bring this to Stephenville,” said Sheila Elston, B.S.N., R.N., CNOR, director of perioperative services at Texas Health Stephenville.