MASSENA -- A Massena Memorial Hospital surgeon recently completed his 100th robotic surgery.

Dr. Dalkeith Facey accomplished the feat on Jan. 31 using a da Vinci robotic surgery tool at the hospital.

“It’s truly a privilege to have the opportunity to do 100 robotic surgeries at Massena Memorial Hospital. Our patients truly benefit from this modern technology. This high precision robotic equipment provides excellent visualization and the dexterity of the robotic instrument is second to none. This allows us to provide surgery safely in an expeditious fashion. Our patients love having robotic surgery because the postoperative pain is minimal,” Facey said in a news release from MMH.

Facey uses the device for minimally invasive inguinal and umbilical hernia surgeries, as well as gallbladder surgeries.

MMH started their robotic-assisted surgery program in 2017, which is when they first began offering the da Vinci surgical system as a minimally invasive option for patients.

Facey joined MMH at the beginning of 2016 “and has been a great asset to the organization ever since,” the release said. He has extensive training in general surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and various surgical subspecialties, such as trauma/critical care, upper endoscopy and colonoscopy.

Dr. Facey is also a member of the American Osteopathic Association and board-certified with the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons.

According to the release, using the da Vinci system to perform surgeries leads to “less surgical scars, less pain, significant decrease in the risk of complications, quicker recovery time, and less blood loss.”

“Furthermore, da Vinci surgeries result in shorter hospital stays for patients, as they typically go home the same day or within 24 hours after their operation. Patients who undergo traditional hernia (inguinal and umbilical) surgeries usually experience a three-day hospital stay. In the future, Dr. Facey hopes to expand his da Vinci surgical operations to include colon surgery and hiatal hernias,” MMH said.

In addition to Facey, Dr. Jeffrey Greenberg also performs surgery using the da Vinci system. Greenberg specializes in obstetrics and gynecology and uses da Vinci for gynecologic surgery.

“Both docotrs realize the benefits of this surgical system and the importance of evidence-based medicine. More than 9,500 peer-reviewed studies and reports have been published regarding the use of the da Vinci surgical system for various procedures,” MMH said.

For more information about MMH’s surgical services, please visit the hospital’s website. https://www.massenahospital.org/our-services/surgical. To make an appointment with Dr. Facey, people can call the MMH Surgical Group at 315-769-4656.