Ballad Health Expands Robotic-Assisted Surgery at Abingdon’s Johnston Memorial Hospital

Ballad Health Expands Robotic-Assisted Surgery at Abingdon’s Johnston Memorial Hospital

In a critical move towards advanced healthcare, Ballad Health announced the expansion of robotic-assisted surgery at Abingdon’s Johnston Memorial Hospital. As part of this pioneering initiative, the hospital introduced new da Vinci and Ion robotic surgery systems, pinning the hospital — the seventh in Ballad Health’s list — as a leader offering state-of-the-art robotic-assisted surgery.

Johnston Memorial Hospital also becomes one of the first institutions within the health system to offer Ion robot-assisted bronchoscopy, a revolutionary technology designed to help detect lung cancer early. The addition of these systems signifies the hospital’s enduring commitment to investing in cutting-edge technology, thereby providing optimal surgical care for patients.

Investing For Better Surgical Care

John Jeter, chief executive officer of Johnston Memorial Hospital, expressed his delight about the hospital bringing such cutting-edge surgical options closer to the region’s communities. He emphasized that the hospital is proud to invest in top-tier technology and field expertise to maintain their leadership position in surgical care.

The da Vinci surgical system, known for its four robotic arms equipped with surgical instruments and a high-definition camera, gives surgeons an enhanced view of the surgical site, ensuring more accurate and smoother operations. Furthermore, the Ion system’s robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive lung biopsies allows for early detection of lung cancer, a critical element in successful treatment.

The Future is Here

Highlighting the importance of this technological advancement, Haytham Adada, MD, who was the first physician in Ballad Health to complete an Ion procedure, affirmed that the face of surgery has been changed with laparoscopic surgery and the advent of robotic-assisted surgery. According to Dr. Adada, this advancement not only gives surgeons more flexibility and precision during procedures but also offers patients shorter recovery time, less dependency on post-surgery medications, and less scarring compared to conventional open surgery.

The life-changing long-term benefits of robotic-assisted surgery for patients are tremendous, as often, patients can go home on the day of their surgery which would otherwise have required an overnight hospital stay.

Reaching Out to More Communities

Ballad Health is currently offering robotic-assisted surgery at multiple locations throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The introduction of the state-of-art surgical technology in Abingdon’s Johnston Memorial Hospital is a further step towards providing patients in neighboring communities with access to groundbreaking healthcare technologies.

As the president of Ballad Health’s Northern Region, Chad Couch, MD, put it, the new medical advancement is not just beneficial for the patients residing in Abingdon, but it is also a significant stride towards the overarching goal of Ballad Health — to ensure everyone, regardless of their location, has access to the highest quality of care.