Mumbai's Kokilaben hospital unveils robotic arm for surgeries

 The Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute here set another benchmark in advanced medicare by introducing da Vinci robotic surgery Sunday.

Inaugurated by an eminent doctor, Suresh Advani, the new cutting edge system aids in overcoming the limitations of keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery and enhances capabilities to perform the most complicated and delicate procedures.

"The precision offered by the da Vinci robotic system ensures greater surgical precision, improved dexterity and superior control, translating into smaller incisions,less blood loss and quicker recovery," said hospital's executive director Ram Narain.

He said that till date 11 successful surgeries have been performed, of which, none required blood transfusion and all the patients were discharged within a few days after the surgery.

The da Vinci system enables complex surgical procedures of all types to be performed through 1-2 cm incisions.

Offering multi-specialty applications, it is designed to be used for multi-organ surgeries, including treatment of cancers of prostate, urinary bladder, kidney, uterus and cervix.

In cases of radical prostatectomy performed using the robotic surgical system, the incidence of urinary incontinence and impotency is significantly reduced as compared to the conventional methods of surgery.

Speakers at the inaugural function included noted medical practitioners T.B. Yuvaraja, Anshumala Shukla-Kulkarni and Dipen Parekh, chairman, Department of Urology and director of robotic surgery, University of Miami, Florida, US.

"It is a remarkable achievement for the hospital team to successfully perform robotic cancer surgeries for multiple organs like the prostate, kidney and urinary bladder within the very first week. The surgical robot used here at Kokilaben Hospital is exactly what I offer my patients back in the United States," Parekh said.