Many advantages

Doctor robot in the operating theater

Robot and doctor in scrubs. Operating together.(Bild: Gerhard Berger)

At the hospital in Hall in Tyrol, numerous operations are now being carried out with the help of a robotic system. This method is also already being tested at the hospital in Innsbruck. What it can do and what it is used for. 

The surgeons at Hall Hospital have a new assistant. Some operations have already been performed using the "Da Vinci" robot. Now the system is going into regular operation for certain procedures.

The advantages of robotic surgery are based on a highly magnified 3D view of the inside of the body and a high degree of precision. Due to the extreme magnification and the very small instruments with many degrees of freedom, complex movement sequences can be carried out in confined spaces. Tirol Kliniken cites colon operations as well as inguinal and incisional hernias as examples.

Operating with the help of robots makes many things easier for doctors.(Bild: Gerhard Berger)

Robots will also be used in gynecology (e.g. uterus removal) and urology (e.g. prostate surgery) in the future. This will make minimally invasive procedures possible. "In combination with the high level of expertise of our surgical teams, this method represents a significant advancement in surgical procedures," says Michael Rieger, Medical Director of LKH Hall.

However, a lot of practice is required to control the machine correctly.(Bild: Gerhard Berger)

Tirol Kliniken currently has two surgical robots
According to company spokesperson Johannes Schwamberger, Tirol Kliniken already has two surgical robots in use, in addition to Hall at Innsbruck Hospital. As the tasks there are even more complex, the training phase is still ongoing. This is necessary for both man and machine. Among other things, doctors have to learn how to use the highly sensitive control console. This can be adapted to each surgeon and thus also reduces physical strain for the doctors.