Ostrava City Hospital Robotic Surgery Will Help Hundreds of Patients Each Year

The most modern version of the device is now operating at Ostrava City Hospital, making it the fifth surgical robot in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The supplier, selected through a public tender, was the company Synektik.

Robot-assisted surgery is among the most advanced minimally invasive surgical methods. For patients, it means less blood loss and reduced postoperative pain. Thanks to the high precision of the instruments, surgeons can perform procedures even in anatomically complex areas.

“The opening of the robotic operating room and the launch of robotic surgery represent a significant step forward in the development of modern medicine at Ostrava City Hospital. Thanks to this technology, we can offer patients gentler procedures, shorter hospital stays, and a faster return to everyday life,” said MNO Director Petr Uhlig.

The new operating room is a multidisciplinary workplace. It will be used by teams from urology, ENT, surgery, and gynecology. This ensures full use of the modern equipment, which can be deployed for several operations each day.

“The robotic system allows us to work with exceptional precision and stability. The surgeon controls the instruments from a console with a detailed three-dimensional view of the operating field, which significantly increases control over instrument movement and enables very gentle procedures. For us surgeons, it is a huge opportunity to raise the level of surgical care for our patients even further. We expect to perform more than 350 procedures annually,” added Rostislav Kuldan, Head of Urology, who led the first robotic surgery at MNO.

He also noted that procedures in the robotic operating room are completed in half the time, hospital stays are reduced to about one-third, and recovery times are also shorter.

The robotic operating room was created by reconstructing the former anesthesiology and resuscitation department (ARO) on the second floor of Pavilion E4, which was no longer in use. Construction modifications included structural reinforcement of the premises and the installation of a new medical gas station.

“This project is a model example of good cooperation between the city and the hospital. The construction modifications were financed by the City of Ostrava with CZK 47 million, while the hospital purchased the robot, including all technical equipment necessary for the operating room, for CZK 76.5 million from its own resources,” said Ostrava City Councillor for Healthcare Michal Mariánek.

The da Vinci system is the most widely used robotic surgical platform in the world. In the Czech Republic, there are currently 32 of these systems installed, which have already performed more than 55,000 robotic procedures.

Specialties Using the Robotic Operating Room

Urology:

• Prostate removal for cancer treatment
• Kidney tumor removal while preserving kidney function
• Bladder removal
• Prostate enucleation for benign enlargement

ENT and Head & Neck Surgery:

• Oncological surgeries for tumors of the pharynx and larynx, including reconstructive flap procedures
• Procedures related to snoring and sleep apnea

General and Trauma Surgery:

• Colorectal cancer surgery
• Bariatric procedures
• Hernia surgery program

Gynecology:

Hysterectomy (uterus removal) for non-malignant reasons in obese patients