Robotic Surgery Milestone

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery’s robotic surgery program celebrated a patient treatment milestone, with one of its surgeons completing his 100th robotic surgery.

Benjamin Smith, MD, a board-certified general surgeon, completed his 100th robotic surgery, which has included inguinal and ventral hernia repair, and colectomy. Dr. Smith will soon begin performing surgical endoscopies and colonoscopies.

“I’m excited. It’s been a great transition from laparoscopic to robotic. The functionality of the robot and what you can do with it is quite incredible,” said Dr. Smith. “It’s shown to produce better outcomes for our patients and reductions in hospital stays; offers the patient less post-operative pain; and allows for a quicker return to normal activities.”

“We congratulate Dr. Smith on this achievement and are proud to have surgeons of his caliber on our hospital staff, serving the New River Valley community,” said Devin Tobin, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery chief operating officer. “We are highly focused on bringing the best technology and innovation to our patients, and Dr. Smith has done that incredibly. We are looking forward to offering more robotic care for our community in the near future.”