The Da Vinci surgical robot was presented to the staff of the Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital in Győr at a professional programme organised by the institution and the experts of Széchenyi István University. The aim is to make this state-of-the-art surgical procedure available in Győr in the future, benefiting both patients and doctors.

The Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital in Győr has always been at the forefront of minimally invasive, endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery. Regular broadcasts are held on the institution's internal network to give insight into surgeries in other departments, further enhancing the training of doctors. The Da Vinci surgical robot, a product of the manufacturer Intuitive Surgical and distributor SofMedica, was presented at one such event.

The aim is to make this state-of-the-art technology available in the hospital in Győr in the future.

The Da Vinci surgical robot was presented at the Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital in Győr (Photo: Csaba József Májer)

"Innovation is driving healthcare forward, with technological advances playing a prominent role in diagnostics and surgery. There is no longer any question in the world about the legitimacy of robotic technology in medicine, which will also gain ground in Hungary," said Dr. László Jávor, Director General of Petz Aladár University Teaching HospitalHe added that he was very happy that the surgical robot had arrived at the institution, even if only for a demonstration.

In his opinion, as a hospital of regional relevance, it would be an important step to introduce this in daily work, including the strengthening of oncological therapy, the treatment of certain cancers and certain pelvic and urological surgeries. The Director General highlighted the hospital's close partnership with Széchenyi István University in the context of the increasingly prominent role of innovations in medicine. "The great strength of the university is that it does not want to develop and achieve results on its own, but strives for broad cooperation in all areas, which also helps the development of the region as a whole. Our partnership is also prominent and highly diverse, covering a wide range of areas in Covid care, from student volunteering to joint training and research, to the alignment of engineering and healthcare competencies. The Health Technology Campus to be established in the Zrínyi Street building complex in Győr will be another important stage in this process," he said.

Dr. Balázs Villányi, Medical Director of the Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Dr. Miklós Koppán, Head of Department of the Széchenyi István University, Dr. Zsolt Jenő Szepesváry, Deputy Dean of Széchenyi István Univeristy, and Dr. László Jávor, Director General of the Hospital (Photo: Csaba József Májer)

Two doctors who also play an important role in the professional work of the Széchenyi István University as Deputy Dean and Head of Department at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, actively participated in the presentation of the Da Vinci robot at Petz Hospital.

"The big advantage of robotic surgery is the avoidance of open exploration, the smallest and fastest healing wound possible. The technology increases surgical precision, there is significantly less blood loss, but also reduces the length of hospital stay, post-operative pain and recovery time.",  Dr. Zsolt Jenő Szepesváry, Deputy Dean for Development at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences of Széchenyi István University, Deputy Director of the Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital, and Head of the Urology Department explained the essence of the procedure  He added that this is beneficial not only for the patient, but also for the doctor, as the magnification of up to fifteen times provides better vision compared to traditional surgery. "During robotic surgery, the machine precisely tracks the surgeon's hand movements, which are made through a manipulator," he said.

Dr. Zsolt Jenő Szepesváry added that for Széchenyi István University, as a university of technology, innovations that raise a field of science to a higher level and the practical application of the knowledge it provides are very important. "Innovative solutions that help our students acquire up-to-date knowledge are also essential to the practice-oriented education of our faculty. For example, the teaching of robotic surgery is important not only for doctors, but also for nurses, as surgery is a team effort."– he said. He stressed that robotic surgery and other technological innovations supporting healthcare represent a huge development potential in Hungary, and Széchenyi István University could play a leading role in this field in the future. "This technique can be used to make very complex operations, which are demanding for the entire operating team, easier and therefore more efficient, and to perform them with greater precision. We approach the potential applications of the robot from a multidisciplinary point of view, as it is capable of performing multispecialty, complex surgeries, mainly in urology, gynaecology, surgery and thoracic surgery.", said Prof. Dr. Miklós Koppán, a renowned expert in gynaecological pelvic surgery and minimally invasive surgery. As the head of the Department of Clinical Skills at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences of Széchenyi István University, he emphasised that the role of the university in the health sector is important precisely because of its capacity for innovation and the transfer of technological knowledge. This includes robot technology, the development of various modern medical devices, the use of artificial intelligence.

In the field of training, the aim is also to transfer innovative, forward-looking knowledge, to which the cooperation between the two institutions adds a lot.

"The specialists of our hospital were able to learn about world-class surgical technology with the help of our university," said Prof. Dr. Csaba András Dézsi, Mayor of Győr, Chief Physician of Petz Hospital and member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of Széchenyi István University, in connection with the presentation. "Although there is no medical training  in the city, the colleagues of Széchenyi University and Petz Hospital are already actively involved in the training of doctors."