A father and son spine surgical team were among the first to be trained with the ExcelsiusGPS robot at the Spine Center at MemorialCare Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center, according to an Oct. 21 Press-Telegram report.
Sarbpaul Bhalla, MD, 70, often partners with his son Amandeep Bhalla, MD, 37, on spine surgeries at the hospital. Both surgeons specialize in minimally invasive spine surgery.
Robotic technology plays a key role in spine procedures at the hospital. Dr. Sarbpaul Bhalla predicts that almost all complex spine surgeries will be "computer-assisted" in the next 10 years.
Initially considering a career in anesthesiology like his mother, Dr. Amandeep Bhalla decided to focus on spine surgery.
He completed his residency at UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., and the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Spine Fellowship program in Boston before joining his father at Long Beach Medical Center.