Robots have been used in surgery for 24 years now.  While some specialists, like urologists, have made using the robot standard of care, heart surgeons have been slow to adopt this method claiming it’s simply a marketing ploy.  Dr. Davis was the first to perform robotic heart surgery at both The Methodist Hospital and Memorial Hermann, and the first to use the robot for a lung resection at Memorial Hermann.

Patients done robotically have been up and around the unit the day after surgery and claim to have very little pain.  One patient was back at work two weeks after a multiple bypass.  These patients have very little blood loss and fewer complications due to having only a small incision made between two ribs and a few small port entry spots.  In several cases, skeptical physicians have sent the patient for follow up imaging to make sure that the procedure was indeed done well.  These have shown results equal to or better than hearts done by an open sternum.