MUSC Health Florence showcases $1.5 million surgical robot to doctors at Hope Health

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - Doctors at Hope Health Regional Health Center got a firsthand look at MUSC Health Florence’s $1.5 million surgical robot on Wednesday.

Dr. Hatem Abdullah, MUSC Health Florence’s Director of Robotics, said the surgical robot has completely changed the way they perform certain surgeries.

Abdullah said robotic surgery is safer for patients, and significantly reduces recovery time.

“In my mind, I try to avoid open surgery at all costs, and if I can get someone safely through a technically sound minimally invasive approach, I think everybody wins,” Abdullah said.

MUSC Health Florence urologist Dr. Karthik Tanneru said they brought the robot to Hope Health to give providers the opportunity to ask questions and understand the procedures it can perform.

Often times a clinical physician is the first doctor a patient sees.

Tanneru wants to make sure doctors know what’s available right here in Florence before they refer patients to a hospital hundreds of miles away.

“We are doing this to create awareness to the physicians and also to the general public, so that people don’t need to travel to Charleston or Greenville or Columbia, they can get more complex surgeries right at home,” Tammeru said.

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