Revolutionising microsurgery with first-of-a-kind robotic technology

Above: Mr Eldon Mah

St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) has become the first hospital in Australia and the Asia Pacific region to introduce cutting-edge robotic technology for microsurgery that helps surgeons to operate on vessels less than a millimetre in size.

The Symani System is a teleoperated robot that mimics the surgeon’s hand movements and wrist motions on a much smaller scale while allowing them access to areas of the body that are challenging for the human hand.

A first-of-its-kind robotic technology, it has been designed to improve a surgeon’s precision during an operation on very small anatomical structures and allows them to handle and suture these delicate parts with a higher level of dexterity.

Procedures range from reconstruction after cancer resection and trauma, to nerve injuries and other soft tissue and bone injuries, as well as lymphatic repair.

This ground-breaking technology uses small wristed instruments featuring tremor-reducing and motion-scaling technologies that address the scale and complexity of microsurgery and super-microsurgery.

It equips surgeons with greater capability to perform complex reconstructive procedures that would previously have not been possible, opening a gateway to improved patient care.

“This technology will revolutionise microsurgery and change how we repair things, said Mr Eldon Mah, a reconstructive surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the Project Team Lead.

Robotic microsurgery enables surgeons to perform more minimally invasive procedures which may result in lower morbidity in patients and faster recoveries.

It also offers potential to reduce the need for patients to undergo multiple surgeries and will help to significantly reduce the level of fatigue experienced by surgeons, who may operate for up to 13 hours or more at a time.

Above: The wristed micro instruments mimic the surgeon’s movement 

Advancing patient care

Through SVHM’s newly created Clinical Microsurgery Robotic Unit, the Symani Robotic technology will initially be used for breast reconstruction, sarcoma and head and neck cancer reconstruction surgery and digit replantation.

Further developments are in place for lymphoedema management and treatment of chronic wound repair in conditions such as diabetic foot disease and peripheral vascular disease.

Geoff Rohde was the first patient at St Vincent’s and in the Asia-Pacific region to undergo microsurgery using the Symani robotic technology. The surgery involved transferring healthy tissue to repair a large defect after cancer was removed from his left thigh.

The novel technology was used to reconnect very small blood vessels to restore circulation.

“The hospital has been absolutely magnificent. I can’t speak highly enough of the care I received at St Vincent’s – their constant contact and the way they helped put me at ease was so comforting during what was quite a stressful time in my life,” said Geoff.

St Vincent’s is one of 21 global sites using the robotic technology and will become a centre for training and education in the southern hemisphere.

“This new system expands on St Vincent’s use of robotic technologies for patient treatment and strengthens our hospital’s position as a global centre for excellence in robotic-assisted surgeries," said Mr Mah.

It also supports Victoria’s position as a leader in the introduction of medical technology and pioneering innovation in the field of microsurgery and will contribute to research that will be developed on how this robotic technology is helping to improve patient care.

SVHM was one of the first hospitals in the world to introduce a microsurgery program more than 50 years ago, with collaboration and support from the former O’Brien Institute, now the O’Brien Institute Department at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research. From this foundation, St Vincent’s has become a global leader in reconstructive surgery, including performing Australia’s first hand transplant 13 years ago.

The Symani Robotic System for Microsurgery is developed by the surgical robotics company MMI (Medical Microinstruments Inc.) and is distributed by Device Technologies.

Above: Geoff Rohde