The surgical robot purchased by Széchenyi István University in strategic cooperation with the Petz Aladár University Teaching Hospital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County, officially unveiled on 25 May, serves healthcare research and development and directly benefits patients. The modern device has already been used by the hospital's doctors to perform almost a hundred operations, and experience so far shows that patients' post-operative pain has been reduced and their recovery speeded up.

SZE believes that it is important to conduct research in cutting-edge technologies and fields of science that are crucial to society, while serving the people of the region. The Da Vinci surgical robot, which the institution purchased last year and which is in constant use by specialists at the Petz Hospital in Győr, many of whom are also lecturers at the University's Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences, contributes to both of these goals. The investment thus further strengthens the strategic relationship between the two institutions.

Dr Zsolt Szepesváry, Vice-Dean for Development at the Faculty and Head of the Department of Urology at the hospital, said that the equipment has already been used for almost 100 operations, which is a very successful start. The surgeries have been almost exclusively oncological (cancer surgery), with a few highly complex reconstructive and reconstructive procedures. This is fully in line with the intended use of the robot and the portfolio that was set up beforehand. The experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

Dr Zsolt Szepesváry presented the Da Vinci surgical robot in the operating room of the urology department. (Photo: András Adorján)

“The postoperative pain is significantly less even in the case of other minimally invasive surgeries, such as laparoscopic procedures. Our patients can be discharged sooner. There is also a measurable and significant improvement in functional outcomes, particularly early urinary retention following surgery for prostate cancer, although we were among the national and international leaders in this respect in the large number of operations we had previously performed using laparoscopic techniques," summarised Dr Zsolt Szepesváry. He added: "The great advantage of robotic surgery is the avoidance of open exploration and the minimal and fast healing of the wound.” The technology increases surgical precision and significantly reduces blood loss. This is due to a combination of factors. The robot has a 270-degree greater degree of freedom than laparoscopic devices, but also than the free movement of the human wrist and hand, and can insert devices through holes in the human body during surgery at much smaller sizes. It allows a wide range of instruments with a huge degree of freedom to be used in tight and small spaces.

He explained that the robot does not have any autonomous functions, but only follows the movements of the surgeon in control (the so-called console surgeon). So far, two urologists, a thoracic surgeon and two gynaecologists have been accredited as console surgeons, and three others as assistant doctors. The training of medical assistants is also ongoing. The completion of the full training (surgery, thoracic surgery, gynaecology, urology) is scheduled for September.

The greatest recognition for the console surgeon is to be granted international teaching, or proctor status, so that he or she can not only perform but also teach and supervise other surgeons and other hospitals, and host training at his or her own centre. It is a great success that the Győr Hospital has provided the second proctor in the field of urology in the country, Dr Zsolt Szepesváry. The department has already hosted foreign surgeons from Croatia for observation, and he has also participated as a proctor in the urology part of the Da Vinci robotic surgery programme at the University of Debrecen.

The surgical robot is also contributing to unique research being carried out by researchers at the Centre for Digital Development at Széchenyi István University in collaboration with specialists at the hospital. Dr Péter Prukner, assistant professor at the centre, said that the device's camera system produces a three-dimensional video recording of every operation.

"The aim of the research is to provide accurate information about the spatial position of medical devices during surgery, which will support doctors in developing new procedures. The data set generated from the analysis of the surgical image can be used to predict the patient's expected recovery time and the likelihood of complications. This is an area of research that is unique in the world. It will also lead to scientific publications," said Dr Péter Prukner. He added, that in collaboration with the hospital, the Territorial Excellence Programme project has already broadcast live surgeries over the hospital's internal network, which can be viewed by qualified professionals, contributing to the development of their expertise. In addition, he stressed, "The aim is to be able to broadcast the 3D image of the surgical robot in the same way. In the future, our University is planning to file a patent application for the MediStream platform developed."

In connection with the surgical robot, Dr László Jávor, Director General of Petz Hospital, emphasized that thanks to their close cooperation with Széchenyi University, they can perform operations with this high-tech device, which serves both research and patient recovery. "We are grateful to the University for placing the device, which will significantly enhance our scientific activities, in our hospital, so that our colleagues can engage in unique research procedures," he said.

Dr. Zsolt Szepesváry demonstrated the possibilities offered by the surgical robot by peeling a grape and sewing its skin back on (Photos András Adorján)