Dubai: Doctors, robot perform successful kidney surgery

A group of surgeons and a robot in Dubai have performed a surgery on a 22-year-old patient who was suffering from enlarged kidneys.

The Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot launched at the Dubai Hospital helps perform minimally-invasive surgeries.

Dr Maryam Al Raisi, CEO of Dubai Hospital, said the robot is one of the most sophisticated laparoscopic surgical technologies available.

The first surgery using the robot was performed by a special medical team led by Dr Yasser Ahmad Al Saeedi, consultant, robotic surgeon and head of the Urology Department at Dubai Hospital.

The Emirati patient was suffering from a blockage in the upper part of the ureter, which caused enlarged kidneys.

During the two-hour surgery, the obstructed part was removed and the ureter reconnected to the renal pelvis.

The patient will be discharged within a few days.

Dr Al Saeedi said the robotic system “allows the same movement capacity as the human wrist but eliminates any tremors that maybe caused by a surgeon's hands”.

The robot also allows a three-dimensional view and magnification of up to 10 times and offers extreme accuracy.

The robot has four arms — one for imaging and the rest for surgery.

Dr Al Saeedi said the robot can be used for complex kidney, prostate, ureter and pelvic surgeries. The doctor is the first Emirati surgeon to specialise in robotic surgery.

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