Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Medical Center introduced the latest robotic surgical system, ‘da Vinci SP(Single Port)’, in March at its two affiliated hospitals, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital and Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital.

Only a single 2.5 cm cannula goes into the body through a single incision. Through the cannula, three surgical instruments and one high-definition camera can approach the surgical site and be controlled in multiple directions for surgery. It is a highly improved system of the previous version, da Vinci Xi, which required three or four incisions for each surgical instrument. Also, the newest system allows doctors to suture more firmly.

Unlike the existing method where surgeons had to change the location of the robotic surgical device depending on the location of the lesion even during surgery, the da Vinci SP enables doctors to perform four different types of surgery with one docking which reduces the preparation time for surgery.

Patients who get surgery with da Vinci SP undergo delicate surgery through an incision of just 2.5 cm, so they can preserve normal tissues, and can expect a quick recovery with a small amount of bleeding and pain.

Since 2015, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital has used the da Vinci Xi and has performed more than 2,200 surgeries in various departments such as Obstetrics & Gynecology, General Surgery, Urology, Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, and Otorhinolaryngology.

Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital adopted da Vinci Xi in 2015 and has performed more than 1,800 robotic surgeries until this month. In 2015, Professor Dong Woo Shin of General Surgery succeeded in total gastrectomy using da Vinci Xi for the first time in Asia which removed the entire stomach and connect the esophagus to the small intestine. In 2016, Professor Tae Seok Yoo of General Surgery upgraded the exiting robotic resection to the ‘Robotic Cholecystectomy changing the port placement’, and proved its effectiveness.

“With the adoption of da Vinci SP, the skillful robotic surgeons of Hallym and Dongtan can treat more patients with diverse diseases and provide them with more customized treatment,” said Director Seong Ho Lee of Dongtan Hospital. He added, “We will keep developing our delicate and detailed robotic surgical skills to lead the field of robot-assisted surgery.”

By Hyun Ho Choi, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (dullie1989@hallym.or.kr)