The Puigvert Foundation has become the second hospital in Europe and one of the first in the world to install and carry out a surgical procedure with the latest generation Hugo robot-assisted surgery system, one of the most advanced in the world in this health technology. This makes it possible for prostate cancer and kidney cancer interventions to be more precise and less invasive for the patient.
This new robot, developed over the last ten years by the medical technology multinational Medtronic, offers significant improvements for both patients and surgeons at the Puigvert Foundation, which was already an advanced institution in the robotization of some processes since 2005.
The robot's arms can be controlled individually, achieving a greater range of motion, while the open console offers a wider field of vision and greater precision. In addition, it is the first surgical robot to incorporate an artificial intelligence (AI) system to record interventions and automatically select key moments.
The team of the health institution has already carried out the first two oncological surgeries with this system, unique in Spain, with a radical prostatectomy and a partial nephrectomy. The interventions have been supervised by the director of the Urology Service, Dr. Joan Palou, and Dr. Alberto Breda, head of the Oncological Urology Unit and current president of the Robotic Surgery Section of the European Society of Urology.
Dr. Joan Palou, director of the Urology Service of the Puigvert Foundation, highlights the "solvency and functionality" of the new robot. The urologist states that, although the new tool will allow all types of intervention, it stands out in "some surgeries where scientific evidence shows that the advantages are undeniable, such as radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer or partial nephrectomy for kidney cancer, the first two operations we have successfully performed."
The health institution highlights that robotic surgery is currently only applied to 3% of procedures worldwide, and that this surgical technique, however, has shown that it reduces the risk of complications during interventions and shortens the recovery time of patients.