Wels hospital raises robotic operations to five a day

The urology department at Wels-Grieskirchen Hospital has increased the number of operations performed with robotic assistance from two to as many as five per day, ORF reported. The hospital says the changes were designed to increase capacity without compromising quality.

The procedures mainly involve the kidneys and prostate, including operations on cancer patients. The hospital introduced specially planned days with highly coordinated teams and optimised schedules.

“We plan these days very carefully in advance,” said Clemens Wiesinger, head of the urology department. Patients are selected when the duration of their operation can be estimated reliably, he said. The procedures are not highly complex, according to Wiesinger.

The hospital said every stage of the process had been reviewed. On these days, the first patients are brought into the operating theatre at 7 a.m., instead of 7:30 a.m. Specially trained staff are also assigned to the operating teams, which are planned well in advance.

A new scanner is helping with the changes. It transmits tissue samples to pathology in real time during surgery, allowing them to be examined immediately. If cancer cells are still found, surgeons can continue operating while the patient remains under anaesthesia.

The operating theatre with the da Vinci robotic system is also used by other departments. Urologists currently work under the optimised conditions on about one day per month.

The hospital said the changes had further reduced what was already a comparatively short waiting time for urological operations in Wels.