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Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Performs Historic First Single-Port Robotic Surgery

Image of U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Brandon R. Garren, the service chief of the Department of Urology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, poses for a photo in the operating room. The center recently implemented a single-port robotic surgical system. (Photo: Ricardo Reyes-Guevara, Department of Defense). . U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Brandon R. Garren, the service chief of the Department of Urology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, poses for a photo in the operating room. The center recently implemented a single-port robotic surgical system. (Photo: Ricardo Reyes-Guevara, Department of Defense).

Walter Reed unveiled its new single-port robotic surgical system, becoming the first Department of Defense facility, and the first military hospital in the National Capital Region, to use the newly FDA-approved medical device.

“This is one of the most transformative technological advances across disciplines right now, reshaping how we approach surgical disease,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Brandon R. Garren, who with his team today, performed a minimally invasive surgery on a patient with an enlarged prostate. Garren, the service chief of the Department of Urology at Walter Reed, worked with a multidisciplinary team that trained for months to perform today’s milestone surgery.

During the groundbreaking procedure, Garren utilized a console with hand and foot controls to command the robots, while a second surgeon stood by to supervise the way the surgical instruments worked. Garren controlled the robot's motions, adjusting its precision with his hand and foot gestures, while a series of robotic arms picked up and manipulated the surgical instruments.

Robotic surgery has exponentially improved outcomes for patients: minimizing scarring, improving recovery times and post-operative pain – as well as reducing hospital stays. The technology has wide-ranging applications for a variety of surgical procedures including coronary artery bypass, joint replacement, organ transplantation, gynecological operations, and cancer treatments.

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Dec 6, 2023

Angels of the Battlefield Honor Medical Personnel Who Went Above Call of Duty

Angels of the Battlefield Honor Medical Personnel Who Went Above Call of Duty

Six medical professionals from across the armed services recently earned honors as Angels of the Battlefield, a title bestowed upon them by the Armed Services-YMCA in honor of military medical personnel and first responders for their life-saving medical treatment and trauma care of service members, partner forces, and civilians at home and abroad.

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Dec 4, 2023

College of American Pathologists Re-accredits Walter Reed's Department of Pathology

Military pathologists conduct tests on tissue, cells, and bodily fluids to diagnose disease and collaborate with other medical officers and technicians in performing anatomical and pathological examinations involving tissue preparation for microscopic analysis, such as biopsies and necropsies.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) recently reaccredited the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) after an extensive document review and an on-site visit by some of the country's best pathologists. It's all part of a process every two years to ensure that CAP-certified ...

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Dec 4, 2023

Fort Campbell Soldiers' Innovation Helps Extremities Rehab for Injured Service Members

Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command, East, and Director, Defense Health Network East U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Lance Raney tests a simulated M-4 rifle charging handle that attaches to a strength-training machine to simulate real-life tasks for soldiers recovering from traumatic hand and upper extremity injuries. (Photo by Maria Christina Yager/Blanchfield Army Community Hospital)

A simulated M-4 rifle charging handle fashioned by an occupational therapy team at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital and refined by Fort Campbell’s EagleWerx Applied Tactical Innovation Center may gain broader use in other military hospitals and clinics after a senior Defense Health Agency official saw it demonstrated.

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Nov 13, 2023

We May be Wounded Warriors, But We Can Still Serve

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt Michael Johnson reflects on his time at Yale University through the Warrior Scholarship Program in June 2023. (Photo courtesy Michael Johnson)

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt Michael Johnson reflects on his time at the Fort Belvoir Soldier Recovery Unit. “I was at the Fort Belvoir SRU after hurting my leg on deployment in Poland. I had perpetual headaches while recuperating, which led to imaging that showed I had lesions on my brain and, ultimately, the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.”

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Nov 9, 2023

Walter Reed Hearing Scientist Wins Prestigious 2023 Presidential Rank Award

Dr. Douglas S. Brungart poses for a photo in front of the tower at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Nov. 8 2023. Dr. Brungart, is the Chief Scientist of the National Military Audiology and Speech Pathology Center at WRNMMC. (Photo: Ricardo Reyes-Guevara)

When Dr. Douglas S. Brungart, Ph.D., the Chief Scientist of the National Military Audiology and Speech Pathology Center (NMASPC) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) learned he had won a prestigious 2023 Presidential Rank Award for his leadership, contributions, and relentless commitment to public service, he was joyfully astonished.

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Nov 1, 2023

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Champions Women's Health Care Options Using Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy Surgery

Dr. Candice Jones-Cox, the Women's Health Services director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is all smiles after becoming the first surgeon in the Department of Defense medical community to perform a robotic minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. (Photo by Ricardo Reyes/Department of Defense)

When you meet Dr. Candice Jones-Cox, director of the Women's Health Services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, you will learn that she's a fierce patient advocate and a meticulous surgeon, passionately learning cutting-edge techniques to adapt to an ever-changing medical landscape. She's an obstetrician-gynecologist, highly adept at ...

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Oct 19, 2023

DHA and Veterans Health Administration Collaborate to Innovate, Improve Patient Care

DHA and Veterans Health Administration Collaborate to Innovate, Improve Patient Care

Senior leaders from the Defense Health Agency and Veterans Health Administration came together to discuss collaboration and innovation between the two agencies during the first AMSUS sponsored Innovation Symposium: A Collaboration by Innovators from the VHA and the DHA Agency on Sept. 18 in Bethesda.

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Oct 12, 2023

Airman, Soldiers Graduate from Interservice Physician Assistant Program at Walter Reed

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center physician assistants pose for a group photo in front of Walter Reed's Tower in Bethesda, Maryland, Oct. 6, 2023. The physician assistants came together in recognition of National Physician Assistants Week. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brett Walker)

Although the paths that Air Force Capt. Grace Kim and Army 1st Lts. Demetre Harris and David Owunna took to achieve their shared dream of becoming physician assistants (PAs) differed, all donned their white lab coats as the military’s newest PAs during their graduation from the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) on Sept. 29 at Walter Reed.

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Oct 4, 2023

Stemming the Tide: Navy Medicine and the Egyptian Cholera Epidemic of 1947

Over three months, cholera spread across 2,270 towns and villages in Egypt killing over half of its victims. According to one estimate over 20,000 Egyptians died of cholera. (Graphic by Andre Sobocinski)

On September 21, 1947, a man was admitted to the Al-Qurayn (El Korein) Hospital in Egypt vomiting profusely and suffering severe diarrhea. Within hours, he was dead. The attending physician on duty first suspected food poisoning before 11 additional patients were admitted with identical symptoms. Their diagnosis was cholera, a deadly bacterial disease ...

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Last Updated: August 23, 2023
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