PGI to start robotic surgeries soon, budget approval awaited
LUCKNOW: The Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is just one step away from starting robotic surgeries. The premier medical institute has sent its final budget for approval to the state government that has in principle agreed to provide the funds for PGI’s robotic surgery department.
“We will be getting the robot within a month, once the budget is released. The company that will supply the robot for the institute has been short-listed. We have also identified the departments that will be going for robotic surgeries. The manpower that will be handling the robot is already being trained. The list of doctors and staff that will be trained for the high-skilled robotic surgery has been finalised. Even the place where the robot will be installed is almost ready,” said a highly placed official of the institute.
“Robotic surgery is more accurate than the surgery performed with hands,” said Professor SK Agarwal of the department of cardio vascular and thoracic surgery (CVTS). “It’s an advanced surgery, which creates the smallest possible incision. The robot’s ‘hands’ have a high degree of deftness and perfection that give it an advantage in procedures that are carried out in tight spaces. Using traditional methods such spaces can be accessed only through open (long incision) surgery,” he said, adding, “For example, in case of valve repair surgery of kids, where the valve has been eaten by the bacteria (streptococcus), robotic surgery can save a lot of pain and blood. It can increase the success rate to almost 100%.”
Prof Agarwal said that robotic surgery allows surgeons to take up more challenging procedures as the surgical robots are self-powered and computercontrolled devices. “They can be fed with information and programmed to achieve a higher degree of precision for better accuracy, flexibility and control. This can help in saving lives,” he said.
Director of PGI, Prof Rakesh Kapoor informed that depart- ments like CVTS, endocrine surgery, gastro surgery, urology and nephrology have been identified for the use of the robot. “Some of the doctors in these departments are already trained in robot surgery. So, the platform is ready now and we are waiting for a few lines of acceptance, which can come anytime,” he said.
Dr J Bonnati of Cleveland Clinic USA, who has performed the world’s first robotic endoscopic quadruple coronary bypass surgery and has completed over 4,000 heart surgeries - including more than 600 robotic procedures - has agreed to guide PGI in planning for its robotic surgery department.