State-of-the-art robot

“DaVinci Xi” helps out in the operating theater in Lienz

In the operating theater at Lienz Hospital, surgeons are already working with Neo colleagues "DaVinci Xi".(Bild: BKH Lienz)

The Lienz district hospital wants to provide state-of-the-art medical care. A new robot is to support the surgeons. However, operations will still be performed by humans.

Its name is "DaVinci Xi" and it has already been "working" in the operating theater of the district hospital in Lienz for several weeks. We are talking about an ultra-modern robot. It consists of a console at which the surgeon sits, as well as several mechanical arms. These perform precise movements. The arms are also equipped with high-resolution cameras and special instruments, enabling the most delicate surgical procedures.

The patient is still operated on by a human, the robot only helps to carry out our movements in a minimally invasive and very precise manner.

Hubert Volgger, Leiter der urologischen Abteilung

However, the BKH Lienz can rule out the possibility that only the machine will carry out operations from now on: "The patient will continue to be operated on by a human, the robot will only help us to carry out our movements in a minimally invasive and very precise manner," explains Hubert Volgger, Head of the Urology Department. It is hoped that the computer-assisted control will result in less blood loss, less tissue damage, smaller scars and faster recovery times.

The team at BKH Lienz has already made friends with the new "colleague".(Bild: BKH Lienz)

Already a fixed component
The investment costs are borne by the province of Tyrol and the hospital itself and are seen as an "investment in the future", as they say. The robot is already an integral part of the team among the doctors and other staff. "The new employee has settled in quickly and well," smiles Director of Nursing Robert Hieden.

According to the BKH, they did not start from scratch when integrating the robot, but were able to look back on a great deal of experience with several doctors. Other employees are also in the certification phase and will be able to start using this new surgical method from 2025.