Robot -assisted surgery: Graz sets standards for children's operations

Robot -assisted surgery: Graz sets standards for children's operations

The medical landscape in Graz recently experienced a significant innovation: The LKH University Hospital Graz has started to carry out robot-assisted operations for children. This innovative method makes it possible to carry out interventions with a specially developed robot system that not only increases the precision of the surgeons, but also reduces the risk for small patients. The hospital board for pediatric and youth surgery, Holger Till, emphasizes that up to 100 such operations are planned every year.

The new robot, known as "Noemi", was named after the first patient to successfully operate a ten -year -old girl with inguinal hernias. This system not only keeps the surgical tools, but also expands the movements of the surgeons, which is particularly advantageous in limited operating rooms. The girl was enthusiastic about the technology in the press conference and was quickly fit for her sporting activities in the field of rhythmic gymnastics.

progress in pediatric surgery

After robot -assisted minimally invasive surgery has been used for twenty years, this new system now sets a milestone in the treatment of children. With a diameter of only three to five millimeters, the special instruments of the system are much smaller than the conventional ones, which makes it possible to operate even toddlers from one year. This represents a breakthrough in pediatric surgery, since previous systems required larger instruments that were hardly suitable for the small bodies.

Graz pediatric surgery thus plays a pioneering role in Austria. Ulf Drabek, CEO for Finance and Technology of the Kages, emphasizes that only a handful of clinics use similar systems worldwide. The Robotic system, which has three arms, was initially rented for two years. After this test phase, a possible purchase is made. For the beginning, the team focuses primarily on carrying out interventions in the abdomen such as inguinal hernia, reflux surgery and the removal of appendix and gallbladder. Till explains that the know-how is gradually expanded in order to be able to use the system optimally.

Overall, this development represents significant progress in the surgeon care of children who can benefit from this new technology in a safer and gentler way. Further information on the use and possibilities of robot-assisted surgery in Graz can be found in a current article Volksblatt.at .