Robotic surgery upgrade
ROBOTIC surgery patients at Geelong’s St John of God Hospital could enjoy faster recovery times as the city keeps pace with the latest innovations from around the world.
Surgeons at the hospital will now use its da Vinci Xi robot to perform abdominal wall reconstructions for complex hernia and bowel patients.
International robotic surgery expert Igor Belyansky visited the hospital yesterday to help surgeons learn the procedure along with other new techniques.
The US-based doctor said using the robot for abdominal wall reconstruction was reducing pain and wound complications for patients, while also allowing them to leave hospital sooner.
“Typically the patients — when you do an open (surgical) approach — would stay in the hospital for anywhere from four to seven days afterwards,” Dr Belyansky said. “With robotic technology, nowadays you can do the same type of procedure through about three to six small incisions.
“And as a result, what we’re seeing in our practice is patients go home the next day or two days after surgery, which is really a dramatic change in how we treat those complex hernia patients.”
St John of God Hospital has been offering robotic surgery for more than two years after buying the $3 million da Vinci machine.
Its surgeons have been trained to use the four-armed robot across a range of specialties including urology, gynaecology, ear, nose and throat and general surgery.
Dr Belyansky said while the technology was on the rise, the medical industry was being held back by the limited number of robotic systems available.
“For example, in my hospi- tal, there are only two robotic systems. Access to robotic systems is limited right now,” he said. “But I think in the next 10 to 20 years, robotic surgery is the future of minimally invasive surgery.”
He also said patients should feel buoyed by the development of new robotic procedures. “I think the early data is really exciting,” Dr Belyansky said. “We have to be cautious though. Just because we have the fancy tool and machine, you also need another factor — a surgeon who is experienced and understands what they’re doing.
“But a combination of an experienced surgeon with advanced technology will crystallise it to something really wonderful.”