Blackrock Clinic takes delivery of new Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot

27th Oct 2016

As we steer through the fourth quarter of 2016, we further our drive towards minimally invasive procedures by taking delivery of a new Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot. Whilst outwardly scaling up, inside our theatres we have been advancing with minimally invasive precision.

Our Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot is the latest state- of- the- art surgical platform developed by Intuitive Surgical. Since the idea sparked with them in 1999, the company has supplied systems which have enabled over three million percutaneous procedures across 64 countries worldwide. This is a €2.1million investment with the purpose of advancing surgery with the smallest incisions and best patient outcomes.

Looking like a futuristic, highly articulated praying mantis, the revolutionary Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot is a three part surgical system:

1. “Surgeon Console.” The surgeon sits in ergonomic comfort at the “Surgeon Console”, while the hand, wrist and finger movement is translated by the system. Commands are then given in real time to the “Robot”.
2. “Robot.” The “Robot” has four multi jointed arms to hold an endoscopic camera and instruments.
3. “Vision Cart.” High definition magnified 3D imagery is projected via the “Surgeon Console” to the surgeon and further on to the theatre staff via a “Vision Cart”.

The surgical team sees many benefits. The robotic instruments are able to move with far greater dexterity than human joints and rigid instruments. The surgeon works from a relaxed position with substantial magnification, which reduces human hand tremor. The image on the screen is also3D and right-reading, which is an advancement on traditional laparoscopic technology.

As a result, less blood loss, reduced pain and scarring, and shorter hospital stays are some of the improved patient outcomes, as tracked by Intuitive Surgical over the last 16 years.

The Robot is set to assist surgical cases across a range of specialties and will be used in two of our theatres. We currently have eight specialised robotic surgeons. A core group of specially trained nurses and theatre staff are ready to team up with them, with more in training.

Gynaecology, urology, colorectal and thoracic are the medical specialties of interest and we expect the inaugural procedure to be performed in early November.