Prague, July 18, 2022 – In April 2018, the Faculty Hospital in Motola managed to start the operation of the Center for Robotic Surgery, which enabled the purchase of the latest type of DaVinci Xi robotic system. In September 2021, a second operating system was installed in the hospital. Currently, the University Hospital in Motola ranks first in the Czech Republic in the number and scope of robotic operations.
The robotic surgery program is currently used by six clinics of the Motol hospital – the Urology Clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and the Motol General Hospital, the Surgical Department of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the University of Warsaw and the Motol General Hospital, III. surgery clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of the UK and FN Motol, Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of the 2nd LF of the UK and FN Motol, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the 1st LF of the UK and FN Motol and Department of Pediatric Surgery of the 2nd LF of the UK and FN Motol.
Urological procedures represent the most frequent use of the robotic system. Since April 2018, he has been on Urological clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and Motol University of Applied Sciences robotic system used for procedures on a total of 1055 patients. The most common procedures performed are radical removal of the prostate for a tumor (radical prostatectomy – 740 procedures) and removal of a tumor from the kidney (kidney resection – 200 procedures).
"We perform the entire spectrum of robotic urological surgery, including a total of nine types of robotic surgery - on the bladder, prostate, lymph nodes and kidneys, which makes the quality of care provided by us comparable to the best centers in Europe or the USA," says prof. MD Marek Babjuk, CSc., head of the Urology Clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and FN Motol and dean of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the Charles University.
Department of Surgery, 2nd Medical Faculty, Charles University and Motol University Hospital is one of the largest centers of colorectal surgery in the Czech Republic and, starting this year, also an international training center for robotic colorectal surgery. At the clinic, robotic surgery is performed on the entire colon and rectum. To date, 170 operations for rectal tumors and 35 operations for colon tumors have been performed at the site.
"The robotic system is practically irreplaceable for us in operations for low-lying tumors of the anus, when we are able to work with high precision in the depth of the small pelvis. Robotic-assisted operations in patients improve functional outcomes and reduce the frequency of postoperative complications." says MUDr. Filip Pazdírek, Ph.D., head of the Surgical Clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and Motol Medical University.
He deals with robotically assisted thoracic lung, mediastinal and abdominal surgery III. surgical clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of the UK and Motol General Hospital. This is the only workplace in the Czech Republic for lung surgery, thymic surgery and esophageal resection. To date, 76 anatomical lung resections have been performed here (annual potential is 150 lung resections), 4 thymectomies (with an annual potential of 30 thymectomies) and 4 esophageal resections (with a potential of 40 esophageal resections annually). Furthermore, 115 rectal resections, 19 colon resections and 4 pancreatic resections were performed here.
"In my opinion, the uniqueness of FN Motol lies in the wide spectrum of specializations and the possibility of cooperation and mutual support," adds prof. MD Robert Lischke, Ph.D., Head III. surgical clinics of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of the UK and Motol General Hospital.
Na Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the University of Warsaw and the Motol Medical University robotically assisted laparoscopic operations are mainly used in the surgical treatment of malignant tumors of the cervix and uterine body. In contrast to simple laparoscopy, the robotic technique uses much more mobile surgical instruments, which allow gynecological surgeons to gently and precisely prepare tissues in the depth of the small pelvis around the uterus, where simple laparoscopy with the use of inflexible instruments has its technical limits.
"We have very good experience with robotic technology in the treatment of malignant gynecological tumors, the operation itself is not long, it is very precise and, compared to the standard open approach to the abdominal cavity, it enables faster post-operative rehabilitation for patients," clarifies doc. MD Roman Chmel, Ph.D., head of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and the Motol FN.
Doctors Clinics of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery 1st Faculty of Medicine UK and FNM they started operations using the DaVinci Xi robotic system from September 2021. By the end of May 2022, 37 patients with head and neck cancer were successfully operated on. The spectrum of indications for transoral robotic surgery mainly includes malignant tumors of the palatine tonsils, lingual tonsils and the upper part of the larynx.
"The performances were not burdened by any serious complications. Compared to conventional surgery, patients operated on in this way begin to swallow much earlier, and the hospitalization time is cut almost in half." says prof. MD Jan Plzák, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, 1st Faculty of Medicine, UK and FN Motol.
The advantages of the DaVinci robotic system have recently started to be used by Department of Pediatric Surgery of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the University of Warsaw and Motol Medical University during procedures of a urological nature in pediatric patients.
The first Olympiad in the control of a robotic system at the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the Charles University
The medical students showed great skill in operating the system.
As the first in the Czech Republic, the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of Charles University offered students the opportunity to try out the simulator of the DaVinci robotic system and become a robotic surgeon for a certain period already during their studies. The students performed the same tasks on the simulator that are used by doctors training to work with the system. In this way, it is also possible to analyze the results achieved and assess how skilled today's medical students are and what prerequisites they have to operate modern digital technologies.
"Robotics is clearly the future of all surgical fields, and this needs to be transferred to the teaching of our students," adds prof. MD Marek Babjuk, CSc., head of the Urology Department of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and the Motol Faculty of Medicine and dean of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine at Charles University.
The results showed that the students achieve very good results in general, and that the best achieve a skill that is comparable to the finished doctors. Young people's experience with electronic games has also been shown to increase their ability to master modern technology.
We classify robotically assisted operations as minimally invasive. A very fundamental benefit is evident in the postoperative course, the length of hospitalization and in the operative results. We stand on the threshold of a new stage of medicine. Robotic surgery undoubtedly has a great future ahead of it and we are happy to participate in its development.
The University Hospital in Motola is the largest medical facility in the Czech Republic and one of the largest in Europe. It is also the main teaching base for students of the 2nd Faculty of Arts of the UK and also houses some workplaces of the 1st Faculty of Arts of the UK. FN Motol provides basic, specialized and super-specialized health care and services in medical fields in the form of outpatient and inpatient care for children, adults and seniors. Structurally, it consists of two interconnected monoblocks (children's and adult parts) and several separate pavilions. In FN Motol, more than one million patients are treated annually in 55 clinics.
Media Contact:
Pavlína Danková, phone: 724 227 503, e-mail: pavlina.dankova@fnmotol.cz
Press release for download: Robotic surgery – the medicine of the future at the Faculty Hospital in Motola available today