Two Samaritan Medical Center Surgeons Reach 500th Robotic Surgery Milestone

Published on: June 19, 2023

Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center announces the achievement of a significant milestone for two of its general surgeons who perform robotic surgery with the da Vinci Xi system. Dr. Eduardo Barayuga and Dr. Daniel Bryden each completed their 500th robotic surgery recently. The occasions were marked with a celebration with the surgical team.

“It’s humbling that this has happened,” Dr. Barayuga said. “The one thing that I’m proud of our program is we are doing it even in emergency cases, we are able to do it 24/7. We are able to use it even in emergency cases, which is a big benefit.”

Since the da Vinci robot was introduced at Samaritan Medical Center in 2012, more than 3,700 cases have been completed using it. In addition to general surgery options such as cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), hernia repair, colon, and anti-reflux surgeries, gynecological surgery, and urologic surgery are also completed using the robot.

Robotic-assisted surgery is a minimally invasive approach that takes surgery beyond the limits of the human hand and eye. It enhances the surgeon’s skill by providing a magnified, three-dimensional view of the surgery site while translating the surgeon’s hand movements into corresponding micro-movements of the instruments inside the patient’s body. The benefits of robotic-assisted surgery include less pain, less scarring, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays and recovery time, reduced risk of complications, and a faster return to normal daily activities.

To learn more about robotic surgery and our surgeons, visit samaritanhealth.com/robotic.

Dr. Daniel Bryden (L) and Dr. Eduardo Barayuga (R) are pictured here receiving milestone awards from Operating Room staff.

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