Surgery Without Borders: Tanner’s Robotic Program Goes International

Just months after performing his 1,000th minimally invasive procedure with the da Vinci robotic surgical system, Dr. José E. Espinel, MD, FACS, recently surpassed another significant milestone by becoming one of the first surgeons in the region and across the state to use one of the health system's new da Vinci 5 robotic platforms to broadcast a procedure - live - to his colleagues in Ecuador.

Dr. Espinel has performed thousands of hours of advanced training and years of perfecting minimally invasive techniques. His expertise has helped propel Tanner's robotic surgery program into one of the region's most advanced, attracting more complex cases and expanding the procedures available close to home.

The da Vinci 5 by Intuitive uses advanced optics, force-sensing instruments and ultra-fine controls to give surgeons greater precision and accuracy. This enables more procedures to be performed through smaller incisions, resulting in faster healing and less downtime.

Since its first robotic case in 2013, Tanner's program has grown from a single system to a multi-system program led by experienced surgeons like Dr. Espinel, fueling progress not only in surgery but also in cancer care, heart care, neurology and stroke treatment - bringing more advanced medicine closer to the communities it serves.

Learn more about robotic surgery at Tanner Health, visit tanner.org/surgical-services.