The Specialist Forum Volume 13 No 11 November 2013 | Page 10

MARKET FORUM

S

New robotic surgical
technology unveiled in SA

outh Africa’s first robotic surgery system was launched reMedical, said the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System could be used
cently at the Urology Hospital in Pretoria, marking a new era
for various other procedures but would be commencing with urologiin high tech healthcare. The da Vinci Robotic Surgical System
cal surgery, in particular prostatectomies. Managing director of the
is set to take surgery to the next level as it is ideal for both complex
Urology Hospital, Sarel van der Walt, said the technology will result in
and delicate surgeries such as the removal of the prostate gland
less blood loss, less pain, shorter hospital stay and a quicker return
(prostatectomy).
to normal daily activities.? SF
Speaking at the unveiling of the
robot, Dr Lance Coetzee, a urologist based at the Urology Hospital
in Pretoria, said robotic surgery
technology had grown to such an
extent across the globe that in the
US, around 83% of radical prostate surgery is now undertaken
using this technology.
“This is the type of state of the
art technology that augments the
work of surgeons and which can
offer more precise surgery with
much reduced morbidity. This new
technology means a patient can
now be back at work after two
weeks, rather than six weeks,”
he said.
Thomas Dunbar, managing director of Earth Medical, part of the
Litha Healthcare Group which distributes the da Vinci robotic technology in SA, said robotic technology would help take certain
surgical procedures to new levels Dean Fossett of Earth Medical, part of the Litha Healthcare Group which distributes the da Vinci robotic
due to its advanced technology.
technology in SA, Drs Francois du Boezaart and Marius Bongers of the Urology Hospital in Pretoria and Derek
Dean Fossett, also from Earth Watts, who hosted the launch of the new system.

Breakthrough in foetal
surgery celebrated
Families, medical specialists, nurses and other hospital personnel
got together recently to celebrate the success of the five highly
sophisticated in-utero pinhole surgical procedures performed at
Netcare Parklands Hospital over the past fourteen months.
The intrauterine procedures were varied and included shunt
procedures into the chest and bladder cavities, laser therapy for
twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and umbilical cord ligations.
The first procedure, a pleuroamniotic shunt insertion, was used
to treat chylothorax (fluid collection around the lungs) that could
result in hydrops fetalis, which is an accumulation of fluids around
the lungs, heart and abdomen leading to seve ???????????????)??????????????????????????????????)A??????????????????M?????M??????????????????????()????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????)A??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????M???????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????9?????A???????!???????????????????????)????????)??????????)???????Y?????????????????????9????)A???????!?????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????M()A??????$$$$$$$$$$()9????????????Q???M????????????((