Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital

Dr. Dong Woo Shin, director of Robotic Surgery Center at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, and his team have successfully operated the robotic total gastrectomy on a patient with gastric cancer through the fourth-generation robotic surgical system, the ‘da Vinci Xi,’ on April 29 for the first time in Asia.

The gastric cancer was found during the pericardial effusion test and the cancer cell was placed in the upper part of his stomach which required a total gastrectomy surgery. Dr. Shin safely removed the patient’s entire stomach by using the ‘da Vinci Xi’ and created a new alimentary canal by connecting the esophagus with the small intestine utilizing the linear stapler in vivo.

The level of surgery for the total gastrectomy is more complex than the partial gastrectomy and the risk is higher since the excessive bleeding may occur during the surgery. However, the latest da Vinci Xi provides surgeons with high definition stereoscopic 3D vision through 80 degree wider observation angle and helps surgeons find the exact bleeding area to minimize the risk of the total gastrectomy.

By Ji Hee Hwang, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (jihee@hallym.or.kr)