Robot assisted surgery to begin at maternity hospital

ROBOTIC assisted surgery allowing the most complex and delicate procedures to be performed through very small incisions is to be introduced at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).

The new €1.7 million Da Vinci Surgery System, the first of its kind in Ireland, is a precision surgical tool that causes significantly less pain, less blood loss, fewer complications, less scarring, a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal daily activities.

With the Da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery, minuscule incisions are made in which a tiny camera and surgical instruments are inserted into the patient’s body.

The instruments are attached to the robotic arms and controlled remotely by the surgeon who sits at a computer console, manipulating the controls while viewing an enlarged 3D image of the surgical site.

The robotic arms allow a 360 degree rotation and eliminate the natural tremor in the surgeon’s hands.

Consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at CUMH, Dr Barry O’Reilly, who will carry out the first procedure using the system in the autumn welcomed the investment by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in the technology.

The system will also be connected via audio visual link to University College Cork’s (UCC) teaching facility for junior surgeons at CUMH.