Major achievement: Heart surgery performed in Serbia with the help of a robot; "No bleeding or trauma" PHOTO

The robot-assisted surgery is a minimally invasive coronary intervention. It is a pioneering procedure that represents the first surgery of its kind not only in the Republic of Serbia but also in the Balkans and the wider region. Until now, such interventions have been performed only in Italy and Poland.

The operation was carried out using a Microport Medbot robot, of Chinese manufacture, which is in clinical use in almost all countries worldwide, except the United States.

The procedure lasts only 20 minutes once the robot begins working, followed by suturing.

"The patient is a 77-year-old male. The procedure is painless, with minimal bleeding, minimal risk of infection, and the patient recovers in a day or two," said Prof. Dr. Slobodan Mićović, Head of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic at the "Dedinje" Institute.

B92.net/Z.Z.

This was a surgical myocardial revascularization (bypass) performed with the assistance of a robot. According to the Institute, as reported to B92.net, such operations without robotic assistance usually take around two hours on average.

"I have never been to a doctor, thank God, and I am not now either, because the robot is performing the surgery on me," the patient said before the operation.

B92.net/Z.Z.

This significant and revolutionary advancement in domestic medicine was carried out by cardiac surgeons at the "Dedinje" Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Clinical Assistants Dr. Miroslav Miličić and Dr. Bogdan Okiljević, under the expert supervision and mentorship of Prof. Dr. Piotr Suwalski from the National Institute of Medicine of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration of the Republic of Poland, a physician with the highest number of robot-assisted cardiac surgical procedures performed in Europe.

Prof. Dr. Suwalski is the key expert consultant for the "Dedinje" Institute in the full development and implementation of robot-assisted surgery in the future.

The procedure at the "Dedinje" Institute was attended by the Institute’s Director Milovan Bojić, Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar, and the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Serbia, Li Ming.

"There is virtually no trauma, and there is no bleeding in this operation. Patients do not need a transfusion after the procedure. In addition to being the first of its kind in the region, Serbia will also serve as a training center for the region," Minister Lončar stated.

B92.net/Z.Z.

The use of robotic surgery allows for less invasive procedures, faster and easier postoperative recovery for patients, as well as greater precision and efficiency in surgical operations.

The strategic goal of developing robot-assisted cardiac surgery is to introduce the concept of day surgery, creating conditions for patients to be admitted and discharged on the same day after undergoing a cardiac surgical intervention.