New Da Vinci robot surgeon now in PHL

 

 

Robotic surgery is the latest advancement in minimally invasive surgical techniques, a procedure that only requires four small incisions (each around 5-12 mm in diameter, less than the width of a pencil) on the patient’s abdomen, using the da Vinci Si robotic surgical system.

 

There are currently two robots in the Philippines, both at St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City. According to Dr. Dennis Serrano, chief of St. Luke’s Robotic Urology section, St. Luke’s brought the first da Vinci Si robot back in 2010. “Since then, more than 150 robotic radical prostatectomy procedures have been done in the institute,” he said.

 

The robotic surgery system has four robotic arms (one of which is a camera), a console that allows the surgeon to control the arms, and a separate video display. The arms have “wristed” instruments at the end that bend like actual human wrists, which gives the surgeon greater control over the instruments.

 

The camera gives the surgeon a view of the patient’s internal anatomy that’s magnified up to 12 times. This means that doctors can clearly see blood vessels and nerves and avoid cutting them.

 

Benefits of robotic surgery over conventional open surgery includes shorter hospital stays, shorter recovery times, less complications, and superior success rates at complete cancer removal.

 

A license is required to operate the robot system. In the Philippines, the price of undergoing robotic surgery is touted to be cheaper (around USD 12,000) compared to other countries (around USD 15,000-16,000).

 

“It is now estimated that there are more than 1,200 da Vinci systems installed in major centers across the globe, 171 of which are in Asia,” said Serrano. — TJD, GMA News