SAL The Surgical Robot Celebrates Another Milestone

Pictured, from left: Dr. Bala Thatigotla, Medical Assistant Noel Fotus, Director of Surgical Services Shelly Meigs, R.N., and Surgical Technician Robert Abrams gather around SAL, a da Vinci robotic surgery system, to celebrate the 750th robotic surgery performed at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

“SAL” the Surgical Robot recently completed its 750^th surgical procedure at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

The procedure was performed by Bala Thatigotla, M.D., M.R.C.S., F.A.C.S., the medical center’s head of Minimally Invasive Surgery.

Under the leadership of Chief of Surgery Venkat Kolli, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Chief of Robotic Surgery Donna Feldman, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., Memorial introduced robotic surgery to the Greater Niagara region in 2012 with the purchase and implementation of the $1.7 million da Vinci surgical system.

Specially trained surgeons using the da Vinci system completed their 100^thprocedure in 2012, their 300^th procedure in 2014 and the 650^th robotic assisted surgery late last summer.

SAL, which stands for Save A Life, was named by then fifth-grader Gabriella Baratta in a countywide naming contest for schoolchildren. To learn more about Memorial’s Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery Program, call (716) 278-4492.