ANTIOCH — Residents of East Contra Costa County no longer need to travel outside the county for advanced surgical care, thanks to an advanced surgical robotic system at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch.
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According to Dr. Christopher Solis, chair of Sutter Delta’s Department of Surgery, the hospital is the only one in East Contra Costa County with the Intuitive da Vinci 5 – a robotic system for minimally invasive surgery which provides minimal scarring, reduces patient recovery time, and improves patient outcomes.
“Our local patients do not have to drive 30-40 miles away to get the same level of care that they can now get here locally, and that’s huge for them,” said Solis at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling the system. “That means getting a ride to and from the hospital is that much easier, getting the resources, the operating room is easier, having your family visit you is much easier because they are all local.”
Dr. Christopher Solis addresses colleagues during the unveiling of the Intuitive da Vinci 5 surgical robot at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, CA on Friday, May 23, 2025. The da Vinci 5 is an advanced surgical robotic system that provides minimal scarring, reduces patient recovery time, and improves patient outcomes.. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)
The benefits are also already attracting surgeons from the region to Sutter Delta, due to the shorter wait times for advanced procedures compared to other hospitals in the Bay Area, said Solis.
“Other hospitals that have robotics usually have anywhere from a six- to eight-weeks wait, typically to get into the operating room, and we don’t have that,” said Solis. “We will be able to provide access to our robot in a time that other hospitals can’t, and those surgeons who have patients (suffering from) cancer or pain need not wait eight to 12 weeks.”
The da Vinci 5 has more than 150 design improvements for “enhanced precision, better instrument handling, and advanced 3D HD visualization.”
Unlike traditional laparoscopic tools, it offers advanced visualization and greater dexterity, allowing surgeons to navigate complex anatomy with more natural, gentle movements.
“All that helps with faster healing. Obviously, the less trauma we instill on a patient, the faster they are going to recover, and we can now do more minimally invasive surgeries easier because we have all that technology as a surgeon,” said Solis.
The system also features a more ergonomic console, allowing surgeons to perform longer and more complex operations with less physical and mental fatigue.
The da Vinci 5’s force feedback technology allows surgeons to gauge the pressure and tension they exert on tissues, which Solis said helps surgeons hone their skills.
With the robotic system, Sutter Delta expects to convert about three or four laparoscopic surgeries to robotic ones in a day.
“We are going to convert 80% of our surgeries to robotic surgeries; the remaining will still be open (traditional surgery) because that is what the patients need,” said Solis.
Sutter Delta Medical Center currently has a team of four surgeons, including Solis, and plans to add six new surgeons specializing in colorectal, gynecologic, and gynecologic oncologic surgery.
“Those are four specialties that will be added as brand-new surgeons to our hospital, and that is a service line we did not have for our patients, so it’s huge for our community,” said Solis.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sutter Delta CEO Trevor Brand shared a personal story about his grandfather in Tennessee who died of prostate cancer a few years ago.
Sutter Health Antioch CEO Trevor Brand during the unveiling of the Intuitive Da Vinci 5 surgical robot at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, CA on Friday, May 23, 2025. New technology allows for instruments to mimic the movements of the hands and wrists. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)
“I often say it wasn’t necessarily the cancer that impacted him, it was the lack of access to a top-tier facility and lack of incredible technology. Bringing in something like this to our community helps us to make sure that people like my grandfather don’t have the same type of situation that happens to them,” said Brand. “We’re excited to bring this to our community so our patients can have a better shot and continue living and being with their families.”
The first surgery using the new da Vinci 5 system at Sutter Delta is scheduled for the end of June.
