CaroMont Health Surgeon and Surgical Team Bring Robotic Precision to Rib Fracture Repair
Dr. Graydon Stallard, a CaroMont Surgical Associates surgeon, has spent his career looking for better ways to treat serious rib fractures, a historically difficult injury to manage. In 2019, he became the first in North Carolina to perform Thoracoscopic-Assisted Rib Plating (TARP), a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open rib surgery. Now, working alongside Rachel Slater, Physician Assistant also with CaroMont Surgical Associates, Dr. Stallard has taken that commitment to the next level, using a robotic-assisted approach with the Zimmer Biomet RibFix Titan system to repair fractured ribs with even greater precision.
Dr. Graydon Stallard and Rachel Slater, Physician Assistant with CaroMont Surgical Associates bring robotic-assisted precision to the treatment of serious rib fractures.
The robotic platform gives Dr. Stallard a stable, magnified 3D view inside the chest, along with wristed instruments that bend and rotate in ways conventional thoracoscopic tools can't. That added dexterity makes it possible to reduce displaced fractures and position the fixation implant precisely against the inner surface of the rib, regardless of hard-to-reach locations that can be especially challenging with straight, rigid instruments.
"At the end of the day, this is about the patient in front of me," Dr. Stallard said. "The technology allows me to restore the strength and stability of the rib cage while preserving as much of a patient's normal anatomy as possible. That means less trauma to the body during surgery, and it gives people a real shot at a smoother, faster recovery, getting back to their lives without the prolonged pain and limitations this kind of injury has caused in the past."
This procedure relies on a full care team working together, from pre-operative planning through recovery. The cooperation between anesthesia, nursing, surgical technicians and biomedical representatives ensures every step of the process, from patient comfort to real-time support during the procedure, is executed with precision. Their coordinated expertise allows Dr. Stallard to focus fully on the surgery itself, confident the team supporting him is equally committed to the healing.
For patients, this combination of experience across CaroMont Health facilities supports innovation and the use of new technology like this to bring better outcomes. This specific procedure often translates to less pain and a faster return to normal.
As minimally invasive and robotic techniques continue to advance, patients benefit from shorter recoveries and a faster path back to the lives they had before their injury, a mission Dr. Stallard, Rachel Slater, and the broader surgical team remain committed to every day.
This procedure is just one example of the advanced, technology-driven care available through CaroMont Health's surgical program, which performs more than 17,500 procedures each year using the latest techniques and equipment, including leading-edge robotics and minimally invasive approaches. To learn more about CaroMont Health's surgical services or to find a provider, visit caromonthealth.org/services/surgery.