They will never replace the surgeon, but they have been operating in the operating rooms of Castilla y León for six years. They moved from simple interventions that initially took time to performing increasingly “complex” techniques at an agile pace. Thus, the surgical robots present in four of the public hospitals of Castile and León will carry out around a thousand surgical interventions this year -800 in 2023-. Its metal arms are still precisely directed by medical professionals who, over time, have gained experience and skill at the controls of the “Da Vinci” – the commercial name of the device. But, in addition, they are able to use these devices as assistance tools in the operating room, thus gaining “safety” and, above all, a large number of benefits for the patient. With data available until November this year, surgical operations are already approaching 1,000. Concretely, the Río Hortega de Valladolid, one of the most experienced in this technique, has already carried out 307, while in the previous one there were 302; followed by Salamanca, which so far had 278 and hopes to reach 330 by the end of the year. In Burgos, in the first ten months of this year, 160 interventions were carried out -179 over the whole of 2023-, while in León. there are already 209, a figure that exceeds the 173 of 2023. Related news standard No They are the specialist doctors of Castilla y León who are José Alberto San Román, from the Valladolid Clinic, as well as Marcelo F. Jiménez and Dolores Caballero, from Salamanca centers, is on the Forbes list. Growth has been exponential and in centers like Salamanca, these operations have tripled in six years. In total, the four hospitals have already accumulated more than 3,000 interventions in this way. After the luggage of the robots, which are already one more in these centers, the objective now is that these machines can operate in 2026 in all the provinces of Castilla y León. The first steps have already been taken this year with the purchase with Feder funds of equipment that will go to Segovia, Palencia, Zamora, Clínico de Valladolid and El Bierzo. In addition, next year it is already planned to acquire those that will be installed in Ávila and Soria. Experience One of the first hospitals to put the “Da Vinci” into operation was that of Río Hortega in Valladolid. After having carried out more than a thousand interventions, the one who is now coordinator of robotic surgery, Pilar Pinto, knows him very well. The center combines this type of intervention with laparoscopy and traditional operations. Those carried out by the robot are the “least invasive”, he explains, and have developed over time. “We started with simpler interventions and now even the most complex ones are being carried out.” In the center of Valladolid, the “Da Vinci” is used in general surgery “in almost the same interventions” as those carried out with other procedures. “Here, we start with obesity, with colon or stomach surgery. Today, the most aggressive and difficult surgical interventions are also carried out, such as the operation of tumors of the head of the pancreas”, explains Pinto. She also already plays a leading role in the specialty of urology or gynecology, where she focuses on “oncological surgery for endometrial cancer”, and finally participates in otolaryngology and maxillofacial surgery. They also implement a program. “pioneer in Spain” of “benign” surgery to perform “gallbladder and wall surgery” so that young people can learn how to use it and see “if it is feasible,” said the coordinator of the robotic surgery of the Río Hortega Hospital of Valladolid, Pilar Pinto IVÁN TOMÉ But, she warns that to be able to handle it with ease and not make mistakes with the robot, it is necessary “ to have a good base” and “knowledge” in traditional operations. “The robot does not operate alone,” he insists, but its metal arms are still directed by a doctor from the operating console and there is another doctor who stands next to the “Da Vinci” in the operating room to change instruments. “It’s additional support, but the one who operates is always the surgeon,” he emphasizes. A tool that “all specialties want,” he explains. And it is an innovative and “expensive” instrument that “cannot be stopped”, which is why it is now also used in the afternoon in the hospital. As coordinator, her role is to organize the use of this innovative tool which, according to her, “cannot be used for all pathologies or for all patients”. “It’s important to make a good choice and prioritize patient safety above all else,” he says. Benefits What this brings, he adds, are “benefits,” both for the patient and for the doctor and for the doctor. health system itself. Firstly, it presents “greater surgical precision” in its movements and therefore allows “more complex” operations to be carried out in “difficult to access” areas. The visualization is even better. “It provides three-dimensional, high-definition images,” he says. This results in a “larger and more detailed” image of the area to be worked, which results in a “more precise and safer” operation. It also eliminates “tremors” and “involuntary movements” and “reduces fatigue” for the surgeon during long procedures. Already with patients, the coordinator reminds that it is “minimally invasive” because the incisions and therefore the scars will be “smaller”. And that does indeed equate to “less pain” and “faster recovery.” So they leave the hospital early. The benefit for the system is therefore that there are more beds available. Associated sponsored ads No Robotic surgery and advanced radiotherapy treatments: the forefront in lung cancer ABC HEALTH FOR INTERNATIONAL RUBER HOSPITAL Ruber International Hospital is consolidating itself as a reference in oncology, offering advanced treatments that improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. The key to this process is “good coordination” between all the people present in the operating room, but also the “training” of those who will be responsible. Up to five phases are to take place, including simulator training and accreditation by the robot’s creators, which can now be granted by hospitals themselves. In the case of the professionals from Río Hortega, they have passed through Strasbourg and Barcelona and are already training other professional colleagues. In addition, now that the new machines are already arriving in other regional hospitals, Río Hortega makes himself available to the ministry to lead a plan that teaches doctors to use technology that remains in operating rooms.
