Students from four local robotics teams got a surgeon’s view as they tested their skill at operating a next generation da Vinci® surgical robot in Mather Hospital’s Great Robotic Challenge. The event was part of the hospital’s marking its milestone 10,000th robotic surgery.
Teams from Longwood, Smithtown, Miller Place and a combined Port Jefferson-Mount Sinai team took turns sitting at the robot’s control panel as a surgeon would, viewing a high definition, 3D image of a “surgical” area. The task was to maneuver the robot’s arms to pick up rubber rings and place them on a series of cones. Longwood had the best overall score in the challenge.
Prior to the competition, Arif Ahmad, MD, Director of Mather Hospital’s Robotic Surgery Center of Excellence, gave a presentation on robotic surgery and its current and future uses, including telepresence. Telepresence with Intuitive Hub allows live sharing of a procedure, using two-way audio and video, enabling surgeons who are in another geographic location to observe and mentor colleagues during robotic-assisted surgeries in real time.
Mather Hospital is in the top 10% of hospitals on Long Island performing robotic surgery, using five da Vinci® surgical robots. The hospital, which was the first Robotic Surgery Center of Excellence in New York State and an Epicenter in Robotic Bariatric Surgery, has performed over 10,000 robotic surgeries since 2011, consistently investing in advanced technology and highly skilled surgeons.
The most common robotic surgeries at Mather are bariatric and general surgery, followed by gynecology, thoracic, and urology. Approximately 99% of our bariatric cases are performed robotically. The average length of stay for patients undergoing robotic surgery is two days.
Mather Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality health care services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion, respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones.
Mather has twice earned the highest five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for outcomes, patient experience and process and has the prestigious Magnet® recognition three times from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The hospital was rated high performing by U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Hospitals.