Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center surgeon an invaluable robotics resource
It was nearly 15 years ago when Dr. Eric Thomas, a general surgeon at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, first became interested in robotically assisted surgery.
“I watched one or two robotics cases and I was sold. I became a robotics nut — just ask my wife,” he said with a laugh. “It’s minimally invasive surgery, but on the next level — and the outcomes are phenomenal.”
Robotic surgery allows a surgeon to control a camera and mechanical arms with surgical instruments attached while seated at a control center near the operating table. The surgeon sees a magnified, high-definition, 3D view of the surgical site.
The advantages over traditional open surgery include smaller incisions, increased flexibility and precision, and less pain and faster recovery for patients.
Since performing his first robotic surgery in 2015, Dr. Thomas has since completed more than 1,700 procedures, treating a wide range of conditions, including gallbladder disease, appendectomy, complex hernias, gastrointestinal disorders, anti-reflux procedures, and colon/rectal surgery.
But Dr. Thomas has never been content to see only his patients benefit from the technology and has become Virginia’s go-to trainer for surgeons looking to move into robotics.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Thomas has contributed to the training of surgical residents and the professional development of post-residency surgeons as a proctor for Da Vinci Surgical Systems. Since joining Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in 2023, he has made the hospital a site for case observations for fellow surgeons in the use of cutting-edge robotic surgical techniques.
In his two years at Spotsylvania, Dr. Thomas has trained 15 fellow providers on the use of a robot for general surgery from across the Commonwealth and beyond.
Dr. Thomas was attracted to Spotsylvania Regional due to HCA Healthcare’s commitment to robotic surgery. HCA Virginia currently has 33 multi-surgical robots in the Commonwealth and 63 total robots including those used for specialty areas. He also noted that Spotsylvania was among the first hospitals in Virginia to offer use a robot 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“HCA believes in robotics and just wants to continue to grow it,” he said. “Minimally invasive was proven years ago to be better than open and robotics is just better minimally invasive surgery.”
Across the enterprise, HCA Healthcare utilizes more than 900 robots that have helped perform more than 1 million surgical procedures.
“Robotic-assisted surgery is here to stay and will continue to expand,” said Ryan DeWeese, chief executive officer of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. “Having world-class robotic surgeons like Dr. Thomas dedicated to training future generations of providers is an enormous benefit.”
Dr. Thomas sees the training he is able to offer residents and fellow surgeons as an incredibly useful tool not only for the providers and patients who will benefit from the technology, but also for the hospital and the health system.
“I look at it as a great recruiting tool for HCA,” he said. “New surgeons are coming out of residency and they won’t go somewhere that does not have a robot anymore.”