BUSINESS
da Vinci® Xi Robotic System
For Modern Mini-invasive Surgery Techniques
The Nový Jičín Hospital, a member of the AGEL group, the Centre of Highly Specialised Oncology
Treatment of Adults in Nový Jičín (Centrum vysoce specializované onkologické péče pro dospělé
Nový Jičín) provides training in robotic surgery to doctors from all over Europe. We have interviewed
Dr. Matej Škrovina, Ph.D., FEARCS, Chief of Surgery, expert guarantor of surgery at AGEL Group,
and proctor for robotic colorectal surgery.
Mr Škrovina, you have dedicated your life to surgery.
How did you get involved in robotic surgery in
particular? What attracts you to this specialization?
I wanted to become a surgeon since before my studies
of medicine at Comenius Universityin Martin. Having
graduated, and having finished the compulsory military
service, I started working in the surgery at the Hospital
and Health Centre (NsP) in Žilina in the spring of 1995.
That was one of the first health centres in Slovakia
to operate a laparoscopic set, which facilitated my
practical experience with mini-invasive surgeries even
during my very first surgeries. I had a great opportunity
to specialize in this surgical field and develop my
laparoscopic skills when I changed jobs: in 2003
I began working as a qualified surgeon at the Centre
of Vascular and Mini-invasive Surgery of Podlesí Hospital
in Třinec (Centrum cévní a miniinvazivní chirurgie
Nemocnice Podlesí a.s. v Třinci). This department has
been a famous pioneer and leader in laparoscopic
surgery in the Czech Republic. This is where I earned my
first experience with laparoscopic surgeries of cancer
of the large intestine and rectum. Growing interest
in this field of surgery made me change employers again
and I became the medical director of the colorectal
team at the Surgery Department at Nový Jičín Hospital
(Nemocnice Nový Jičín a.s.) in 2005.
In 2010, having finished certified training in Strasbourg,
I started robotic colorectal surgeries. The system da
Vinci® Standard used at those times had its limitations,
yet I saw robotized surgery as highly prospective and
very promising. I admit that since 2016 I have been
truly passionate about robotic surgery when our
department, as one of the first health centres in the
Czech Republic, obtained the fourth generation of the
da Vinci® Xi system installed. With further development
of the robotic system and new instrumentation, with
increasing experience, its implementation gets wider.
I am convinced that robotic surgery is the right direction
for surgery in general the near future, especially with
surgeries of particular diagnoses with a particular group
of patients.
You work in the Nový Jičín Surgical Department of the
Centre of Highly Specialised Oncological Treatment of
Adults (Centrum vysoce specializované onkologické
péče pro dospělé Nový Jičín) which was awarded
the prestigious European accreditation status “Case
Observation Centre“ in colorectal surgery. This status
allows the hospital to let surgeons from all over Europe
come, learn and perform robotic surgeries of the large
intestine and rectum. Can you describe the structure
of such training?
Education in robotic surgery has a few stages, and
differs with a console surgeon and with an assisting
surgeon. Firstly, the console surgeon is the surgeon
already experienced in colorectal surgery. The first stage
consists of learning the technicalities of the operation
with the robotic system as well as training surgical
skills on a simulator, which is part of the console of our
robotic system. Having achieved a certain success rate,
the surgeon proceeds to the next stage, which is training
surgical techniques of a particular surgery with special
piglets and cadavers. Only a few modern teaching
centres of laparoscopic and robotic surgery provide
this type of education and training. One or several visits
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