Bariatric Surgeon Celebrates Milestone 250 robotic-assisted procedures

Rick Mohammed, D.O., and the Santa Rosa Surgical Services team have performed more than 250 bariatric weight loss surgeries using a surgical robot.

MILTON, Fla., (Jan 31) - Santa Rosa Medical Group surgeon Rick Mohammed recently marked a major milestone - he has helped improve the lives of more than 250 patients through weight-loss surgery utilizing robotic-assisted technology.

Robotic-assisted surgery is minimally invasive, utilizing a few small incisions for a camera and tiny instruments that are controlled by the surgeon. The instruments perform like a human hand but with even more precision, leading to faster recovery for most patients.

“Safety and efficiency is our number one priority and the benefit of robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery is that patients can often go home earlier and in less pain,” said Dr. Mohammed, a board-certified general and bariatric surgeon. “The majority of patients are discharged home by the afternoon and require less pain medication – enabling them to get back to their daily routine sooner.” 

Dr. Mohammed has performed bariatric procedures at SRMC since 2017, including gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and bariatric surgery revisions, and has helped grow the program so that more patients in the panhandle can live healthier lives. Dr. Mohammed performed the first robotic-assisted bariatric surgery in the Florida Panhandle, west of Tallahassee, in March of 2019. 

“It is truly a humbling experience to see my patients transform after surgery, from discontinuing medications, to near or complete resolution of specific medical conditions,” Dr. Mohammed said. “Patients who were motivated mentally but struggled physically are now able to do so much more activity.”

Dr. Mohammed received his fellowship training in bariatric/weight loss surgery, robotic and minimally invasive surgery at Abington Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, Penn. He is a fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery.

Santa Rosa Medical Center’s bariatric surgery program is an accredited Comprehensive Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint Quality Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). 

Santa Rosa’s Weight Loss Surgery Center is just one of the hospital’s programs utilizing robotic technology in surgical settings – performing close to 3,000 procedures. Five surgeons on the hospital's medical staff perform more than 30 different robotic-assisted procedures across bariatric surgery, general surgery, gynecology and urogynecology at the facility.