'SAL' the robot completes 50th surgery at Falls Memorial

"SAL" the surgical robot completed its 50th surgery at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center on Monday.

"SAL," which stands for "Save A Life," is actually the da Vinci Si Surgical System.  Memorial purchased the system in February and placed it in service a month later for use by specially trained surgeons participating in the hospital's minimally invasive robotic surgery program. 

The system is used by gynecologists, gynecological oncologists, urologists, colorectal surgeons and general surgeons at Memorial.

Memorial's 50th, 51st and 52nd robotic assisted surgeries were performed Monday by Chief of Surgery Dr. Venkat Kolli and Dr. Donna Azam Feldman, the medical center's chief of robotic surgery.

The $1.7 million da Vinci Si System gives Memorial's patients access to the most effective, least invasive surgical treatment option available today. 

For more information, call Memorial's Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery Hotline at 716-278-4492 or visit http://www.nfmmc.org/Services/daVinci.