It looks like a cyborg spider, is operated using XBox-style controls – and will transform cancer surgery in York.
Meet the da Vinci Surgical System. Unveiled at York Hospital today, it is already being put to work.
York Hospital bosses say the £680K surgical robot will mean operations “take a giant leap forward”.
The less invasive system enables surgeons to perform delicate and complex operations through a few small incisions.
It allows more precision than traditional key-hole surgery, leading to fewer complications. That means patients leave hospital sooner and recover more quickly.
It is suitable for a wide range of procedures including cancers in hard to reach areas.
The surgical robot has been funded by York Against Cancer.
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How it works
The da Vinci Surgical System translates the surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, bending and rotating the instruments while performing the procedure.
The tiny wristed instruments move like a human hand, but with a greater range of motion and greater precision. And unlike the surgeon, the robot has four arms.
Its increased magnification – 10 to 50 times more than normal – means “you can see each blood vessel,” says surgeon Praminthra Chitsabesan, “which allows you really precise surgery so you can cut out a cancer without leaving any behind but also preserve all the nerves”.
Praminthra Chitsabesan, colorectal surgeon at York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The surgical robot is a brilliant surgical instrument.
“By investing in this advanced technology we will improve services across the board.”
Consultant urologist Ben Blake-James said: “We’re already seeing the advantages.
“Patients are more able to return to activity with less post-operative pain and we have been able to offer key-hole surgery, where before the surgery would have been an open operation.”
Chair at York Against Cancer Ian Yeowart said: “We are delighted to be able to fund this innovative technology which is so badly needed at York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
“Along with our many other important projects this is exactly the type of support that our many benefactors and supporters expect of us and we are pleased that our funding has enabled its early introduction.”
Chief executive of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Simon Morritt said the surgical robot would be great for patients, the hospital and the wider city.
“It’s highly prestigious. It will allow us to continue to grow and develop our surgical services for our local population.
“We’ll be able to attract the best registrars, the best consultants, to come here and work in York.”
Asked if it would help bring down waiting times, Simon said: “It will certainly contribute to us dealing with the recovery of patients post-Covid, so this will be very much part of our plan as we look to recover the long waits that have accrued over the last two years.”