Dr. Ellington says. “But it works for our lifestyle and priorities. We are lucky to have people in our lives who help us every day. It truly takes a village.” Learning something new Both surgeons have performed minimally invasive surgeries for several years. Their interest in performing these types of surgeries robotically came at different times. Dr. Doumite was eager to train and begin on the da Vinci surgical system in March 2021. The visualization of anatomy, precision and better outcomes for patients eventually won over Dr. Ellington, and she began pursuing robotic-assisted surgery to incorporate it into her practice as well. Despite how it sounds, robots don’t perform the surgeries. During robotic-assisted surgery, the surgeon sits at a computer console and controls the robot’s arms, which have tiny surgical instruments attached to them. A thin tube with a camera attached to one of the instruments allows the surgeon to view a magnified 3-D image of the body as they perform the surgery. The robotic arms match the surgeon’s hand motions as the procedure is performed. This means the surgeon is 100% in control. Tiny cuts, big benefits Dr. Doumite is the first general surgeon at Lake Charles Memorial to For the past five years of their marriage, Darin Doumite, MD, and Amanda Ellington, MD, have worked together to build two things: a general surgery practice with Memorial Medical Group and their own family at home. “Our children often ask us, ‘Who is on call this weekend?’ It’s funny to me that as young as they are, they seem to understand the kind of work we do,” says Dr. Ellington. The two met in residency and were both in the general surgery program. They knew it was likely that they would end up at the same hospital, but it was a bit of an adjustment the first year. Over time they figured out how to help each other, and they agree that balancing a busy work schedule with family time is easier because they’re in the same field of medicine. “There’s a tiny bit of competition that’s always there; most surgeons have that competitive edge,” Two surgeons, ONE 4 Memorial Medical Milestones • Summer 2022
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