Siriraj Hospital introduces new surgical robot

BANGKOK, October 1 (TNA) - Thailand's Siriraj Hospital has introduced its second and high-performance da Vinci surgical robot, which is precise, reduces wounds and speeds up patients’ recovery, paving the way for the country's oldest public hospital to be a center of the robotic surgery in the region. Clinical Professor Dr. Udom Kachinthorn, dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University, together with heads of departments of obstetrics, gynecology and surgery, introduced the surgical robot at a press conference today, during which the live coverage of the surgical robot's operations for patients with prostate cancer and bowel tumors was also presented. Clinical Professor Dr. Apirak Chuangsuwanich, deputy head of the department of surgery, revealed that Siriraj Hospital started using a surgical robot on February 16, 2007 and it has treated over 1,000 patients so far, comprising 860 patients with prostate cancer, 35 with kidney cancer, five with bladder diseases, 106 with colon cancer, liver cancer, oesophagostenosis and gastroesophageal reflux disease and 10 patients with cervical cancer and endometrial cancer. Siriraj Hospital has treated the highest number of patients with the robot surgery in Southeast Asia and, with the second surgical robot, Clinical Professor Dr. Apirak acknowledged that the hospital expects to be a center of robotic surgery in the region in the foreseeable region. Assistant Professor Dr. Tanyadet Nimmanwuthipong, head of general surgery, told the press conference that surgical robots are normally used for complicated and deep operations, such as those for prostate gland, uterus and ovary, and patients need only a few days to recover after a robotic surgery. In Thailand, there are two surgical robots at Siriraj Hospital, one each at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok and a hospital in the northern resort Chiang Mai Province and the last one at a private hospital. (TNA)