THIS four-armed robot may look like something out of a science fiction movie – but is in fact helping save lives in the city.
Controlled by a doctor using their hands and feet, the £1.4million ‘da Vinci’ machine can carry out keyhole surgery with ten times greater precision than a human hand.
Officially launched this week, the cutting-edge kit has already performed more than 40 successful operations at University Hospital.
Bruce Doe was the third person to go under the bionic knife.
He said: “I felt there was no option other than to take advantage of the da Vinci procedure which would greatly reduce the length of time in hospital and all being well, greatly increase the speed of my recovery.
“More importantly, I felt the da Vinci procedure meant less intrusion and hopefully less residual damage to key nerve functions.”
The state-of-the-art robot – which will conduct prostate, kidney, bowel, throat and heart operations – was paid for with the help of fundraisers from the UHCW charity and the Coventry Hospitals charity.
It has a built-in virtual reality system which allows surgeons to hone their skills before using the system on patients. It then grades their performance against world experts.
Andy Hardy, Chief Executive Officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: “The benefits to patients from this robot are outstanding. Quicker recoveries and reduced blood loss means they get back home sooner and are able to get on with their lives.
“This is about providing world class, innovative healthcare on our patients’ doorstep.”
