EU funds help: A robotics centre arose with the support of EU funds

The project to create a robotics centre began in 2019 and was completed at the end of 2023. Its aim was to expand the range and increase the quality and safety of diagnostic imaging techniques and selected surgical procedures in the FTN, connected with emergency admission and in the context of newly emerging serious health threats. This goal has been achieved by a multidisciplinary robotic surgery centre with new radiology diagnostic devices.

"Higher precision of surgical procedures, greater comfort for surgeons, fewer postoperative complications in patients and their shorter hospital stay. All of this is available through the new robotic system in our hospital," said the FTN director Associate Professor Zdeněk Beneš.
 
Professor Roman Zachoval, Head of the Urology Clinic in the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and in the FTN then added:  "The advantage of the robotic system called da Vinci during surgery is that the surgeon operates much less invasively, prepares tissues in more detail, and so the procedure is more effective and, most importantly, has a lower incidence of complications. In most cases, the system is used to operate malignant tumours.”
 
THE DEVICES NEEDED NEW SPACES
The total investment, including the purchase of the robotic system itself, other medical equipment such as an X-ray or ultrasound machine, IT, and the construction of the centre, amounted to CZK 192 million. This whole amount was covered by EU funds. The hospital contributed CZK 12.9 million from its own resources to partially pay for acquiring the IT networks and equipment.

“The project was divided into two parts – construction investments and equipment. The key part is the robotic surgical system. For that, it was necessary to prepare the space, the operating room, and other rooms related to the entire technology operation. The robotic system is quite heavy, so it was necessary to ensure a certain load-bearing capacity of the floors, which is expensive to do in older buildings. But we managed to solve it," said Associate Professor Zdeněk Beneš.
 
The robotics centre opened at FTN in September 2023. "We started operating intensively in January. Last year, we performed over four hundred surgeries, and we keep up the pace this year too. The average waiting time for surgery here is up to eight weeks, the hospitalization time is usually three to four days, which is great," says Professor Roman Zachoval, who was at the birth of the centre.
 
Each of the disciplines using the robotics centre has three to four surgical teams, so there are around 15 teams operating in the centre. At the Thomayer University Hospital, the most surgical procedures are now performed in gynaecology, followed by urology – especially prostate, kidney and bladder tumours. Next in line is thoracic surgery and then general surgery.

"We had been waiting for this centre for several years. FTN provides highly specialized care across many levels and specialties. In thoracic surgery, we serve as a centre of highly specialized pneumo-onco-surgical care, of which there are only eight in Czechia, and we strive to provide lung cancer patients with truly the best care. And of course, that includes robotic thoracic surgery," said Alice Tašková, MD, FEBTS, MBA, Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery in the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and in FTN.
 
MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERIES
Since 2010, minimal access surgeries have become the gold standard as they bring reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery, and less postoperative pain compared to conventional open surgery.

The current development of robotic surgery is pushing these boundaries even further, and the benefits it offers are manifold, including 3D visualisation and image magnification, articulated instruments that mimic the human wrist, tremor filtering, and the provision of an extra “hand.”

Surgical aids such as advanced energy devices, the use of fluorescence, and others are also available. In addition, expert studies confirm a substantial ergonomic improvement for the surgeon when using robotic assistance, especially during complex surgical procedures compared to standard laparoscopy, which is a very significant advantage given the time intensity and physical strain of these procedures.
 
THE ROBOTICS CENTRE HELPS BOTH SURGEONS AND PATIENTS. A robotic operating centre, unique in Czechia, was created at the Thomayer University Hospital in Prague with the help of EU funds. The project also included the purchase of modern diagnostic medical equipment, enabling better preparation for surgical procedures. The construction of the robotics centre was supported by EU funds with more than CZK 190 million. Today, the centre is used by 15 teams of surgeons from several specialties.
 
Photo: Deník daily/Jiří Macek + FTN archive