Dedicated department for Robotic Thoracic Surgery launched in Pune hospital

PUNE: A private hospital in Pune has launched the first of its kind dedicated department for Robotic Thoracic Surgery in the city, making a mark on the city’s advanced health care amenities. The department promises effective treatment for patients suffering from thoracic diseases which are on the rise, especially with regards to cardiological ailments and pulmonary ailments.
This newly launched department will primary offer minimally invasive thoracic surgeries including Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgeries (VATS) and Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgeries (RATS) for number of complexities including lung tumors, tumors in chest wall, anterior and posterior mediastinal tumors, and bullous disease of lungs and thymoma.
The robotic intervention allows for smaller incisions, 0.8 mm, compared to the large incisions with laparoscopic, 3-4 cm. The smaller incision and accurate surgical interventions promise faster recovery post operation as well as less requirement of blood transfusions during the surgery, said doctors during the launch on Friday. The department was inaugurated at DPU Super Specialty. The department is backed by the 4th Generation Da Vinci Xi, which will be used to perform the surgeries.
Dr Sameer Chauhan, Minimally Invasive & Robotic Surgeon, said, “ If we compare the current method of laparoscopic surgeries to the latest robotic surgeries for cardio thoracic treatments, the most important difference is the size of incision. This difference in incision size impacts the post operation recovery, hospital stay, and the time required to go back to routine life. The robot also has a camera attached which also allows the surgeon to magnify and view the tumors and other abnormalities which would not be visible to the naked eye. The robot also allows for a 360-degree rotation which is crucial to surgically remove the tumor.”
The launch of this dedicated department of robotic thoracic surgery will benefit the patients of Pune and neighborhood cities like Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Nashik as they will be able to access this world-class treatment facility without having to travel to distant cities or states. The OPD for consultation will be hosted from Monday to Friday and patients will be attended to on an appointment basis.
Dr Aneez D B Ahmed, Director Robotic Thoracic Surgery Department said, “This will provide a 3D magnified view for better pathology localization, thus enhancing precision and efficiency as compared to traditional methods.”
Dr Manisha Karmarkar, CEO, DPU Super Specialty Hospital, Pimpri, Pune, said, “Since this technology is new, the robotic surgeries would cost more, however, if we consider the out-of-pocket expenditure during hospitalization and follow ups, it would almost be the same for the patients.”