MercyOne Doctor completes 1,000th robotic surgery

DES MOINES, Iowa — Dr. Mark Smolik, a Surgeon with the MercyOne Des Moines Bariatric Surgery Department, has hit a major career milestone — his 1,000th surgery using a robot.

Dr. Smolik started operating with a robot in 2016 and completed his 1,000th robotic surgery this fall.

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Robotic surgery is less invasive, results in faster recovery times for patients, and less pain for patients overall.

Dr. Smolik performs a variety of procedures with robotic instruments. A common one is a gastric bypass, which involves operating on a patient's stomach and small intestine to help them lose weight.

Dr. Smolik said that robotic surgery will become more common in the future.

"I think that the technology is starting to reach a lot of the other facilities as well. So I think I think more surgeons will be doing it. It's an honor to be one of the surgeons in Des Moines actually in the Iowa area that's doing that many robotic surgeries, and that really comes down to the hospital community to, you know, letting us have or allowing us to have the best technologies out there," Dr. Smolik said.

To learn more about robotic surgery visit MercyOne's website .