Everything important happens here in the turtle, which is a trainer, said the director of the Jihlava Hospital, Lukáš Velev. The “turtle”, which is a model of the abdomen, is approachable and better for demonstration than a real patient. But they too will soon be waiting in Jihlava. “We are starting the first prostate surgery this Friday,” informed the head of the urology department, Jaroslav Ženíšek.

This year, they want to offer this operation to at least sixty patients in urology. Subsequently, gynecology and surgery will be added. “All week, the robot will be in the operating room in order to serve people as much as possible,” said the primary minister.

The robotic system enables more precise work compared to laparoscopy. It has a greater range of movements, which are also smoother and more precise. “In general, robotics has a great future, especially in complicated oncological operations across disciplines from gynecology, urology to surgery, and its development is evident,” said Ženíšek, adding that there are already seventeen robotic systems in the Czech Republic. One of them has been in Jihlava since the end of last year.

The Da Vinci XI robotic operating system cost almost sixty-five million crowns. Hospital spokeswoman Monika Zachrlová explained that thanks to robotics, the same surgical procedure can be performed as in a classic operation, but from a minimal approach. “Wounds created during robotic surgery are much smaller and there are no problems with their healing,” she added.

Necessary training

The operating doctor enters the patient’s abdomen through five short openings. “There are ports on the model that the robot arms will connect to. These include three working tools, the camera system as the fourth and fifth ports are used for the first assistant, who gives tools such as a suction cup or needles with sewing and form,” described the primary.

The second part of the robot is the control console behind which the operator sits. The third and fourth parts of the system are the instrument tower and the operating table. “The tower contains the necessary instruments and a computer system. The table is fully synchronized with the entire system, so even when a surgical instrument is inserted into the patient’s body, it can be moved,” described the spokeswoman.

Before starting operations on patients, it was necessary to separately train the console surgeons and the first assistants on the simulator, which takes approximately two to three months. The operator controls the operating tools, the camera and the switching tool himself. After a certification course abroad, he starts operating, first together with a more experienced colleague.

In Jihlava, they assume that skill will gradually improve and operating times will shorten. A lot of time can be saved on preparation, which initially takes tens of minutes. “But once the team has practiced, it is possible to play as in the formula so that the time is very short, for example under ten minutes,” Ženíšek smiled.