Busiest robot in the southern hemisphere

15/11/22

St Andrew’s Hospital in Adelaide is celebrating a technological milestone, having completed more than 5,500 robotic surgical procedures since 2013.

Hospital CEO Stephen Walker said the hospital’s da Vinci Xi surgical robot was the busiest in the country.

“I understand that we have the busiest robot in the southern hemisphere,” he said.

“We undertake approximately 740 procedures each year, mainly in urology but also in ear, nose and throat surgery, general surgery, and colorectal surgery.

“We also undertake the majority of the public robotic work including some paediatric patients from the Women’s and Children’s hospital here in Adelaide.

“We have a highly skilled and experienced robotic team here, including surgeons, nursing staff, robotic surgical assistants, and anaesthetists; their level of expertise is really outstanding.

“Together with Device Technologies, we’re delighted to be celebrating more than 5,000 robotic procedures.”

Mr Walker said being at the cutting edge of technology was vital for helping patients.

“We are the largest independent private hospital in the country – we’re not part of a big group, we’re born and bred here in South Australia and we’re very proud of that. 

“We have a lovely culture here, and we’re thrilled to be able to provide technology which really benefits our patients,” he said.

“We’re a comprehensive cancer hospital, providing surgery for prostate, breast and bowel cancer complimented by all the services here for diagnosis, and non-surgical treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

“We also have a large chemotherapy clinical trials unit on site as well.

“It’s fabulous to know that we’re punching above our weight when it comes to patient care.

“St Andrew's also pride themselves on helping surgeons learn to use the da Vinci surgical robot with the addition of a training console as well, so while one surgeon is operating the console on a patient, we have a second device there for education and training.

“We’ve been doing robotic procedures for a long time now, and we’re very proud of the training we offer for clinicians.”

Device Technologies CEO, Mick Trevaskis, congratulated St Andrew’s Hospital on the “incredible milestone”.

“I’m proud of the longstanding relationship between St Andrew’s Hospital and Device Technologies, and the role we play in improving patients’ lives,” he said.

“Da Vinci surgery continues to be at the forefront of robotic and minimally invasive surgery, and we look forward to continuing to support healthcare facilities like St Andrew’s to offer technologically advanced solutions to benefit surgeons, care teams and their patients.”