General Surgeons and Urologists of the Policlinica Group are already operating normally with the Da Vinci.
The first surgeries assisted by the Da Vinci robot have been carried out successfully at the Policlinica Group. The operating theatre staff have already been trained and are working normally with this new tool. It is a team effort involving nurses, nursing assistants, anaesthetists and surgeons; the integration of all the staff is very important.
The general surgeons have performed several interventions, including several bile ducts and hernias. The surgeons have noticed that the surgeries are performed in less time and they are still surprised, on the one hand, by the excellent visual quality offered by the robot, and on the other hand, by the great operative capacity of the 4 robotic arms, with which they can access areas of the anatomy that were previously unthinkable. Surgeon Francisco Vilás says: "adapting to this new equipment has been the best thing we could have done; we are finding that surgeries are now simpler and have less risk of complications, the robot allows us to be more precise in surgery, and this translates into benefits for the patient".
The robot has also been used by the Policlínica Group's team of urologists, who have performed several complex tumour operations.
The urologists of the Policlínica Group have more than 15 years' experience in the use of the Da Vinci and this is nothing new for them. This is what Dr. Juan Antonio Peña, head of the Urology Unit, tells us: "The first surgeries in the world using the Da Vinci were urological, especially in cases of radical prostatectomy. Then it was extended to other indications such as kidney and bladder cancers, and other tumours. For us, the Da Vinci is a fundamental tool with which we have been working for more than 15 years and we have seen good results.
There are all advantages for the patient, especially in urology: with these interventions, without cuts and with very small incisions, the patient's recovery times are reduced, as well as bleeding and postoperative pain; the unwanted effects derived from some surgeries such as prostate cancer (such as incontinence or loss of erectile function) are also reduced, something very positive for the patient and his mental health, as these types of complications used to be associated with feelings of discomfort and anxiety.
The operating theatre staff have responded very well to the training.
"It is a job in which the coordination of the entire operating theatre team is very important," says Francisco Vilás. "The installation of the robot before surgery requires very precise steps and we have to say that the staff has been introduced to it with ease".
The acquisition of the Da Vinci robot for the Policlínica Group has been the biggest investment this year and will mean a before and after in the quality of care for many patients who have to undergo surgery.
More and more patients will be using the Da Vinci. "At the moment we are using it in general surgery and urology, but we will be extending its use to other specialties such as gynaecology, thoracic surgery and otorhinolaryngology. And of course, in all those interventions in which it is positive for the patient," concludes Francisco Vilás.
How the Da Vinci robot works:
The surgeon can operate on the patient from a distance, sitting comfortably at a console where he has an excellent image quality and controls with controls and pedals the arms of the surgical robot previously placed on the patient. One of the robot's arms contains the camera that sends the three-dimensional image signal to the console and the other 3 arms contain the instruments necessary for the surgery.
Each movement indicated by the surgeon is reproduced by the robot with maximum precision.
The robot makes it possible to perform surgery through very small incisions, which, unlike other surgeries, have better aesthetic results. The patient will generally have less need for transfusions, less postoperative pain and a shorter hospital stay. Recovery is faster and more efficient.
