Korea University Ansan Hospital has installed a Da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system, becoming the first tertiary hospital in Gyeonggi Province to deploy the platform. The hospital’s Robotic Surgery Center completed its first procedure with the system through a robotic cholecystectomy performed by Tae Jin Song, a professor of hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery, on a patient with cholecystitis. The center has carried out more than 4,000 robotic procedures since introducing robotic surgery, with applications across general surgery, urology, gynecology and plastic surgery.
The installation follows the addition of three operating rooms. The center now operates three robotic surgery platforms: the Da Vinci Xi, Da Vinci SP and Da Vinci 5. The hospital said the expanded setup would allow surgical teams to select systems according to the requirements of individual procedures and patients.
The Da Vinci 5 includes force-feedback technology designed to provide surgeons with information about pressure applied through surgical instruments. It also offers three-dimensional imaging intended to improve the visibility of vascular and neural structures, along with a redesigned surgeon console aimed at reducing physical strain during lengthy procedures.
Surgeons at the center have also developed robotic techniques for gastric, urological and thyroid procedures. These include Chang Min Lee’s transumbilical lymphadenectomy technique for advanced gastric cancer, Jae Hyun Bae’s air-insufflation method for vesicovaginal fistula repair and Young Woo Chang’s gas-insufflation single-port transaxillary approach for thyroid cancer surgery.
Intuitive Surgical Korea has designated the center as a training site for the single-port transaxillary thyroid surgery technique. The center provides instruction to surgeons on the procedure.
Professor Chang Min Lee, Director of the Robotic Surgery Center, stated, “With the introduction of the Da Vinci 5, we have established a comprehensive multi-platform robotic surgery system encompassing the Xi, SP, and the latest generation platform. This enables the optimal selection of surgical systems tailored to individual patient characteristics and is expected to support more precise and systematic treatment, particularly in cancer and complex disease surgery.”
Dong Hun Suh, President of Korea University Ansan Hospital, added, “The adoption of the Da Vinci 5 represents not merely an expansion of equipment, but a strategic step toward enhancing patient safety and clinical outcomes. Building on our accumulated experience and innovative surgical techniques, we will continue to deliver world-class precision robotic surgery.”
Photo credit: KU Medicine
