Sarasota Memorial Health Care System celebrated its 15,000th surgery utilizing da Vinci robots at its Sarasota campus today, a medical milestone that has helped Suncoast patients achieve better outcomes with minimally invasive techniques. In the 1990s, surgeons at SMH helped pioneer robotic surgery, participating in clinical trials that would shape the technology, protocols and training for surgeons across the globe. In 2006, SMH deployed the first commercially available da Vinci surgical robot in Florida, and has remained on the forefront of minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques ever since. Today, more than 50 surgeons are utilizing da Vinci and other surgical robotic systems at Sarasota Memorial’s Sarasota and Venice campuses and Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. SMH’s robotic surgeons are among the most experienced in the nation, offering the widest range of specialties and robotic procedures available, from general surgery and gynecological and urological procedures, to colorectal, gastrointestinal, heart, thoracic and cancer surgery. Sarasota Memorial's robotic surgery program has grown to include: seven of the latest generations of da Vinci surgical robots; ROSA, the innovative robotic surgical assistant used in hip and knee replacements; and dedicated robotic surgical suites with integrated operating rooms equipped with the most advanced, minimally invasive surgical tools available.