They perform the first pediatric surgery in Europe using a robot that operates through a single incision

We're sharing this report about Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, published by The Conversation. They used the Shurui SP surgical robot to successfully perform a ureteronephrectomy on a twelve-year-old boy, who also had a kidney removed.

Sixteen years have passed since a surgical robot first entered the operating rooms of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. It was to operate on a girl with an ovarian tumor. That procedure would become the first robotic surgery performed by a Pediatric Surgery department in Europe and would mark the beginning of a new era in the field. minimally invasive pediatric surgerySince then, technology has evolved, and the first devices, initially developed by NASA, have given way to more precise, flexible, and less invasive systems.

Now, the Pediatric Urology and Kidney Transplant team at the Catalan hospital has performed the first pediatric surgery in Europe with a monoport surgical robot, a ureteronephrectomy on a twelve-year-old boy who had a kidney and his ureter removed after an infection caused by multiple stones, some the size of a cherry, left the organ non-functional.

Unlike conventional robotic systems, which use four arms and require multiple incisions to insert the camera and instruments, the new robot works with a single arm and accesses the body through a single incision. The surgical instruments and camera are introduced through this opening and unfold like the tentacles of a spider. microscopic octopus They operate independently, with a wide range of capabilities and flexibility that allows access to confined anatomical spaces. This is associated with less pain and a faster recovery.

360-degree vision camera

This new robotic system is the SHURUI Single Port (SP), developed by the Chinese company Surgerii Robotics, which has chosen Vall d'Hebron as the gateway for this technology in Europe. The Single Port-Snake technique is designed to simplify surgical proceduresThe system operates through a single port through which continuously curved surgical instruments and a 360-degree camera are inserted. Its flexibility allows it to maintain the advantages of multiport systems, simplifying the surgical approach and facilitating maneuvers of a precision difficult to achieve with the human hand.

The device has CE marking, certifying that it meets all European safety, efficacy, and quality requirements for both adult and pediatric patients. "It is currently the only single-port robotic surgical system approved by the European Union and indicated for pediatric procedures," he emphasizes. Albert Salazar"With his appointment, we continue to build the New Vall d'Hebron, a more modern and sustainable hospital," he adds.

“This first installation in Vall d'Hebron represents an important milestone for Surgerii Robotics,” says the professor. Kai Xu, the company's chief executive officer.

The Pediatric Surgery, Urology, and General and Digestive Surgery departments—the latter being the department that will perform the most procedures—are already operating with the robot. Its integration at Vall d'Hebron is possible thanks to the center's extensive experience in robotic surgery. It will allow for an additional 200 to 300 robotic surgeries per year and the handling of more complex procedures.

A robot operated by surgeons

Despite their name, surgical robots They do not operate autonomously.The surgeon directs the procedure from a console located outside the sterile field. From there, he has a three-dimensional view of the patient's interior, magnified up to ten times, and manipulates the instruments with millimeter precision.

“For professionals, these systems offer greater precision, allow access to confined areas, and enable complex surgeries to be performed with less physical stress, eliminating factors such as tremors or postural fatigue,” he notes. Marino Asensio, head of Pediatric Urology and Kidney Transplantation. “And for patients, the benefits are numerous: less bleeding, fewer complications, less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery, and a better cosmetic result—aspects that are especially important in pediatrics,” he adds.

In this first pediatric intervention, a multidisciplinary team made up of professionals from Anesthesiology, Nursing and the Pediatric Urology and Renal Transplant section, led by Marino Asensio, operated on a twelve-year-old child, patient Glòria Royo, assistant surgeon of the service.

“We were able to remove the kidney and ureter that had become infected and had stopped functioning as a result of multiple stones, some of them larger than 3 centimeters,” he explains. Glòria Royo“This single-port surgical system has facilitated the complete removal of the kidney and ureter through a single incision thanks to the system's mobility,” he adds.

“Currently, the hospital performs about a thousand robotic surgeries a year, and this system will allow us to increase activity by between 200 and 300 procedures annually,” he says. David Virós, president of the Robotic Surgery Commission and head of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. “Furthermore, it contributes to better management of hospital resources, since this type of surgery is associated with fewer complications, fewer days of hospitalization, and a reduced need for pain management,” he adds.

Source: The Conversation