Cambridge Medical Center now performs less invasive, robotic-assisted surgeries

MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 27, 2025) — Patients outside the Twin Cities metro area can now benefit from robot-assisted surgeries at Allina Health Cambridge Medical Center. The addition of Intuitive’s da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system is part of Allina Health’s continued investment in innovative surgical technology that helps improve patient outcomes, reduce recovery time and lower the cost of care.

Surgical teams at the Allina Health Cambridge Medical Center have successfully completed a variety of surgeries with the da Vinci Xi robotic surgery platform since receiving it last summer, including hernia repairs, gall bladder or appendix removals, bowel resections, uterus or uterine fibroid removals, and organ diagnostics.

“The da Vinci robotic platform offers several practical advantages over standard laparoscopic surgeries – meaning those done with small incisions,” noted Grant Lee, MD, chair of surgery at Allina Health Cambridge Medical Center. “These advantages include improved image quality, better steadiness in the robotic arms, and increased range of motion. I believe our surgeons are able to do more for patients in a minimally invasive fashion with the da Vinci Xi.”

The addition of the da Vinci Xi robotic surgical platform to the Allina Health Cambridge Medical Center brings the overall total of these robots to more than 30 across the Allina Health system. Combined with more than a dozen other robotic systems – including the Ion used in lung procedures, the Mako for orthopedic surgeries (also available at Cambridge Medical Center), and the Mazor X for spine surgeries – this investment illustrates Allina Health’s commitment to providing people across Minnesota and western Wisconsin with easy access to highly-skilled providers who are using the latest technology.

According to Christopher Macomber, MD, MBA, FACS, medical director of Allina Health's robotic surgery and technology program, the health system has more than doubled its inventory of robotic surgical systems across its locations in recent years. In 2024 alone, nearly 9,800 robotics procedures were performed at Allina Health across multiple specialties on numerous robotic platforms, including General Surgery, Urology, OB/Gyn, Thoracic, Orthopedic and Spine Surgery and Interventional Pulmonology. 

“Since 2018, surgeons at Allina Health have performed more than 23,000 robotic cases, making us a top robotics program in the region,” Dr. Macomber said. “We have expanded this technology outside of the larger metro hospitals and into our regional hospitals to ensure surgeons have access to the best technology for their patients.” 

Want to see the da Vinci Xi surgical system up close? The Cambridge Medical Center is planning an open house from 4-6 p.m. on April 10. Watch for more details about this event on the Cambridge Medical Center’s website: https://www.allinahealth.org/cambridge-medical-center.