Dr. Herbert Ruckle performed a robotic prostatectomy on June 27 on a Santa Maria man with prostate cancer. A small puncture was made in the abdomen and the doctor used one of the hospital's two surgical robot systems.
"Since 2005, when we began using the robots to assist in our surgeries, we have noticed that our patients ... have experienced a shorter hospital stay, less pain, less blood loss, less scarring, faster recovery and a quicker return to normal activities," said Ruckle.
According to the hospital, the program now includes more board certified doctors and nurses in multiple departments including urology, benign gynecology, gynecology oncology and general surgery.
