Surgical robot has debut in UK

Surgical robot has debut in UK

A surgical robot fitted with multiple arms has carried out its debut operation in England, in a technology breakthrough that will make new treatments possible for the first time.

The Da Vinci XI, which is hand-operated by surgeons, has the ability to make tiny and precise incisions, replacing some traditional operations that require cutting patients open and months of recovery, with far less invasive keyhole surgery.

Surgeons at London's Royal Marsden Hospital hailed the technology as pushing the boundaries in surgery, particularly in cancer care, as they completed the first operation on a patient with a tumour on Thursday.

'(The surgical robot) acts as an extension of the surgeon's hands and allows us to carry out complex surgeries through tiny incisions,' said Pardeep Kumar, consultant urological surgeon at the hospital.

'It miniaturises the movements of the surgeons who control it.

'Our patient today has cancer of the colon and they've had several surgeries in the past. That means usually we would tackle this operation with a large open incision that extends from the ribs right down to the belly button.

'This robot enables us to do that same operation through tiny incisions instead, because of the control and accuracy of it.

'It means the patient will wake up from surgery with little or no pain and recover incredibly quickly.'

During the operation, four arms of the robot were used simultaneously to make separate microscopic incisions on the 58-year-old woman, while two surgeons controlled them.

The Royal Marsden Hospital said the robot is the latest model to arrive in England from the US.

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