A Tulane surgeon performed the first lung resection in Louisiana, Arkansas or Mississippi using robotic-assisted technology that reduces post-surgical pain and lengthy hospital stays, the university’s school of medicine announced.
Dennis O’Neil, 77, was in recovery for colon cancer when imaging found malignant cancer cells in his right lung. He would need a lobectomy, the removal of a section of a lung called a lobe.
Instead of performing traditional open surgery, which involves a large incision up the torso and rib-cracking, Dr. Wassim Abi Jaoude performed a minimally invasive technique in July at LCMC’s East Jefferson Hospital using a single port.
The single-port approach allows surgeons to operate through a single incision using similar robotic technology, according to the Mayo Clinic. Single-port robotic surgery has been used in other specialties for several years, such as for lymphedema and prostate cancer care.
The single port allowed Abi Jaoude to complete the operation through one incision, 3 to 4 centimeters long, below O’Neil’s rib cage. By avoiding the spaces between the ribs, the approach reduces irritation to the nerves along the spaces between ribs and the chest wall.
“This advancement represents a major step forward in thoracic oncology,” said Abi Jaoude, assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine. “By utilizing a single incision, we can offer our patients enhanced surgical precision alongside significantly reduced pain and faster recovery times.”
Open surgery typically takes between three and six hours because it requires a larger incision and spreading of the ribs. The in-hospital stay is usually up to a week long.
Early clinical experience across major U.S. medical centers shows reduced postoperative pain, lower narcotic requirements, shorter hospital stays and faster return to baseline activities.
The FDA cleared the use of the da Vinci Single-Port robotic system for thoracic surgery, including pulmonary lobectomies, in 2025 after a six-month clinical trial period at multiple U.S. institutions.
The first successful lung resection using robotics was in 2021 in a 70-year-old woman who was operated on for 3½ hours and went home three days later.
O’Neil, Louisiana’s first patient, went home two days after his surgery.
Bringing the single-port thoracic surgery program to the hospital required months of education, simulation, laboratory training and credentialing for Abi Jaoude. Members of the cardiothoracic operating room team also completed specialized training.
“We are still pioneers and early adopters,” Abi Jaoude said. “The fact that we are able to offer this technique at East Jefferson through Tulane is a milestone in creating a center of excellence for thoracic oncology.”