First surgical ward with robot opened by Czech doctors

Czech doctors have entered a new era using a robot for minimally invasive surgery, officials said Monday.

The equipment used at the prominent Na Homolce hospital in Prague is the da Vinci 1200 system from Intutitive Surgical, Inc., based in Sunnyvale, California, the hospital's director, Oldrich Subrt, said.

The robot imitates the work of a human hand, allowing remote control and providing superior visualization, enhanced dexterity as well as greater precision in surgery.

It is used mostly in chest surgery, and cardiac and gynecological procedures, the AP reports.

According to Subrt, the system was installed in August this year and the first surgery was performed on Nov. 3. All staff on the new ward underwent training in France, Austria and several U.S. universities using the da Vinci systems. A.M.