New robotic first at Epworth Richmond

Australia's first robotic operation was performed on a prostate cancer patient at Epworth Richmond in 2004 – and 21 years later, the private hospital is still at the forefront of robotic surgery.

The Melbourne facility has recently become the first in Victoria to offer three da Vinci robotic surgical systems.

A new Xi system has joined the hospital's existing X and Xi models, giving patients even greater access to the cutting-edge technology.

General surgeon Julian Choi said robotic devices delivered minimally-invasive procedures in urology, gynaecology, thoracic, cardiac, colorectal and general surgery.

"This means patients may potentially experience less post-operative pain, a lower risk of infection and faster recovery times," he said.

Mr Choi said having three da Vinci machines at Epworth Richmond meant more patients could access complex procedures performed robotically, including liver and pancreatic cancer surgeries.

"The robotic systems mean I have a three-dimensional vision with three robotic arms with wristed movements to provide precision, flexibility, and control," he said.

"My observation is that following robotic surgery, patients may experience potentially fast recovery with reduced post-post-operative pain.

"For example, in some of the traditional pancreatic surgeries performed as open surgery, patients may spend a week in hospital. After robotic surgery, patients may be home in three or four days."

The benefits of robotic surgery also extended to Epworth HealthCare's surgeons, Mr Choi said.

"Long complex open or laparoscopic operations can be physically challenging for surgeons, and we carry a lot of muscular-skeletal issues. Robotic-assisted surgery is much less taxing," he said.

"I am really fortunate to practice at Epworth because we really are at the forefront of robotic surgery, and this cannot be done without the support of the entire organisation."

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