PCH Surgeon Completes Milestone 1000th Robotic Case

PRINCETON, W.Va. - Gene B. Duremdes, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S., a general surgeon at WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital (PCH), has reached a milestone in robotic-assisted surgery. He completed his 1000th case with the da Vinci robotic surgical system.   

Dr. Duremdes has been performing the minimally invasive surgery offered by the da Vinci system for a decade. He utilizes the system to perform robotic hernia repairs, anti-reflux surgery and colorectal surgeries.  

Performing robotic-assisted surgery using a da Vinci system extends the capabilities of the surgeon’s eyes and hands. The important news for patients is that having surgery utilizing the da Vinci robotic system can result in fewer days in the hospital as compared to laparoscopic surgery and traditional open surgery. 

Findings reported by Dr. Duremdes from robotic-assisted surgeries he has performed during the past year indicate that the average length of stay in the hospital for patients following robotic-assisted colon resection surgery is 2 days as compared to published national data averages of 5 days for laparoscopic surgery and 8 days for traditional open surgery.  

 

In other words, Dr. Duremdes is sending patients home three to six days sooner by utilizing the robotic system versus other modalities.  

 

Additionally, robotic-assisted surgery can also reduce complications. The national data regarding complication rate is 16 percent for laparoscopic surgery and 32 percent for traditional open surgery. Dr. Duremdes reported zero complications with colon resections using robotic-assisted surgery during the past year. 

 

A longtime resident of Princeton, Dr. Duremdes completed his medical school training and residency at West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown. He joined PCH as a general surgeon in 1993.  

  

WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital is leading healthcare in the two Virginias. With 420 physicians and mid-level providers, PCH operates a fully accredited 203-bed acute care medical facility, a 64-bed psychiatric hospital, and a stand-alone emergency room and outpatient services facility in Bluefield. Through its subsidiary Mercer Medical Group, PCH operates eight primary care clinics and eight specialty clinics offering a wide range of care to a 10-county region.