Abacoa & Alton Neighbors - August 2026

4 A B A C O A & A LT O N N E I G H B O R S | A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 A pancreatic cancer operation once required a large abdominal incision. Many heart procedures required opening the chest. Joint replacement often meant days in the hospital and weeks of recovery. Today, surgeons can perform many of these same procedures through small incisions with the help of robotic surgery. Jupiter Medical Center is home to the region’s largest robotic surgery program. Featuring six robotic systems within the Johnny & Terry Gray Surgical Institute, the program brings together expert surgeons across a broad range of specialties to perform minimally invasive procedures. From treating complex cancers and heart disease to performing joint replacements and many other advanced procedures, Jupiter Medical Center’s surgeons are expanding access to innovative, precision-guided care that helps improve outcomes and enhance recovery. WHAT RECOVERY LOOKS LIKE TODAY For many people, the difference becomes clear after surgery. Smaller incisions often mean less pain, less blood loss, less scarring, and shorter hospital stays. – By Sue MacDonald | Photo provided by Jupiter Medical Center – Robotic Surgery BroadensWhat’s Possible JUPITER MEDICAL CENTER SURGEONS PERFORM MORE PROCEDURES THROUGH SMALLER INCISIONS, HELPING PEOPLE GET BACK TO DAILY LIFE SOONER Dr. Donna Pinelli, medical director of gynecologic oncology and the Frank E. and Mary D. Walsh Robotic Surgery Program at Jupiter Medical Center, says robotic technology has expanded the number of cancer procedures surgeons can perform through minimally invasive approaches. “For different kinds of cancer, we now have access to technologies that for some patients replace the need to do long, open-cavity surgeries,” she says. Many of those operations once required a large abdominal incision. Today, surgeons can often perform them through several small incisions. “The key benefits for patients? They can get out of the hospital a lot quicker to recover at home,” Pinelli says. As the program has grown, surgeons have expanded the number and complexity of procedures they perform through minimally invasive approaches. Surgeons use the technology for procedures ranging from gallbladder removal and hysterectomy to some of the EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR