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BayCare surgeons perform region's first robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy

By
FOX 13 News
Tampa
Published August 21, 2026 5:17 PM EDT
Published August 21, 2026 5:17 PM EDT

The Brief

    • BayCare surgeons are the first in West Central Florida to perform a robotic-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy.
    • The procedure involves using single-port robotic technology, which requires a smaller incision and can preserve skin, as well as sensation.
    • The procedure combines the mastectomy and the breast reconstruction into one single operation.

TAMPA, Fla. - Surgeons at BayCare Medical Group have performed West Central Florida’s first robotic-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy, offering patients a minimally invasive surgical option that combines tissue removal and reconstruction into a single procedure.

BayCare robotic mastectomy procedure

What we know:

Instead of a large cut, surgeons make a small incision – as small as 2.5 cm -- and insert a single-port robot. That port contains a camera and two or three robotic arms, which the surgeon controls to precisely remove the breast tissue.

Dr. Robert Gabordi, BayCare Medical Group breast surgical oncologist and medical director of BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospitals breast surgery program, performed the first robotic-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy in Tampa Bay in July. 

"It really allows the surgeon to dissect very carefully and perform the surgery under enhanced visibility," Gabordi said of the technology. "So it really does give us an advantage from a visibility standpoint, but also from the robot -- the dexterity of the machine is better than what we can accomplish as human beings."

This technology is able to preserve skin, the nipple, and overall sensation, doctors add. 

And right after that, a plastic surgeon steps in to rebuild everything -- meaning the mastectomy and the breast reconstruction happen in one single procedure.

The first local patient

What they're saying:

Tampa resident Kim Kirtley is the first local patient to undergo this innovative procedure, performed by Gabordi. 

Her eight-hour surgery took place in July. And when she woke up in the recovery room, she remembers she had two questions: Is the cancer gone? And am I put back together?

The answer to both was yes.

"To know that everything, all the cancer was gone, and that I could kind of start on that journey back to being my own self, being who I was before this story started, was very exciting," Kirtley said. "There were a lot of happy tears with my husband and my friends and my children."

Kirtley told FOX 13 her recovery process has been pretty smooth so far. 

"In my particular case, it just really so far has made the recovery so much more simple and so much less pain involved," Kirtley explained. "I honestly didn't end up taking any of my pain medication. I felt so good after the surgery, and I am resuming with my normal life under doctor's guidance."

For Kirtley, sharing her story is about giving hope to the next woman facing a scary diagnosis right now. 

"I feel fantastic, and I'm excited about the future," Kirtley added. "And I am really excited about this technology."

Making history

By the numbers:

BayCare leaders said it is among the first health systems in Florida -- and the first in West Central Florida -- to offer a robotic-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy. 

Gabordi is one of only three surgeons in the entire state performing this specific procedure.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia, who interviewed patient Kim Kirtley and Dr. Robert Gabordi, as well as statements from BayCare Health System leaders.

TampaHealth