Sydney Adventist Hospital has installed world-leading robotic technology designed to provide more precise surgery and faster recovery time for patients.
The da Vinci Xi robot is a new $A2 million-plus operating theatre machine used for colorectal, gynaecological, heart, prostate and other conditions, enabling often life-saving procedures through small keyhole incisions in a patient. It features an internal camera and four robotic spider-like arms.
Surgeons control the robotic arms as they view 3D internal images through a monitor while sitting at a futuristic video game-style console. The arms have joints that allow a wide range of movement and have instruments attached that provide the ability to cut, move, attach to, cauterise and manipulate what the surgeon is working on. The tools can navigate into hard-to-reach areas and the intelligent technology allows constant position rechecking and provides great stability for surgeons needing delicacy and precision.
Head of robotic colorectal surgery at the San, Dr Stephen Pillinger, said the new robot is groundbreaking.
“The Xi is the latest generation of robots and it is really groundbreaking in terms of what we can do from a surgical perspective,” he said. “The Xi has a movable boom that holds the arms which means it can operate through a 270-degree field of movement and which essentially means we can go three-quarters of the way around the abdomen. Essentially, it vastly expands what we can do.
“Many people have contributed their time, energy and resources to establish the colorectal robotic surgery unit at the San with the motivation to offer the most state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical service for our patients,” Dr Pillinger added.
“Our patients recover quicker, have less pain and are back to their normal activities quicker, with excellent cancer outcomes.”
