Dr. Jose Nieves Performs 600th Robotic Procedure at Valley Baptist-Brownsville

For nearly two decades, Dr. Jose Nieves has been helping women from throughout the Brownsville community and beyond lead healthier, happier lives through his expertise as an obstetrician/gynecologist.

Nieves recently reached an impressive milestone in career, logging his 600th robotic-assisted surgery at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville in mid-February.

Valley Baptist-Brownsville has been the leader in da Vinci-assisted robotic surgery since 2012, when Nieves completed the first robotic-assisted operation in Brownsville, a total laparoscopic hysterectomy.

“Dr. Nieves has completed more than 400 hysterectomies and more than 130 advanced pelvic reconstruction operations, among other robotic-assisted procedures. Additionally, he has been instrumental in expanding this technology in the Valley by proctoring surgeons from Brownsville to Edinburg looking to add advanced robotic procedures to their armamentarium,” said Miriam Longoria, Valley Baptist-Brownsville’s Director of Women’s Services, Labor and Delivery, Obstetrics Operating Room, and Mother-Baby Unit.

When performing robotic procedures, surgeons like Nieves treat patients through just a few small incisions instead of a large open incision. Magnified, 3D high-definition vision helps surgeons see the surgical area more clearly. Tiny instruments bend and rotate to provide far greater mobility than a surgeon’s wrist in a traditional gynecological surgery. As a result, the surgeon operates with enhanced vision, precision, and control. Robotic-assisted surgery helps surgeons perform advanced operations with decreased pain and faster recovery associated to minimally invasive surgery.

Since 2012, Valley Baptist-Brownsville’s Robotic Surgery program has added general surgery, colorectal surgery, bariatric surgery, and urology to the specialties offering robotic-assisted surgical solutions to patients throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

“As we near the end of our 12th year providing da Vinci assisted surgery to the Brownsville community, Valley Baptist-Brownsville wishes to congratulate Dr. Nieves on such a remarkable milestone,” said Valley Baptist-Brownsville CEO Leslie Bingham. “We are incredibly grateful for his dedication to ensuring that we remain the most experienced Robotic Surgery program in Brownsville. That high level of experience equates to better care and better outcomes for our patients.”