Surgical robot to help with some Sask. surgeries

A new surgical robot is set to arrive in Saskatoon.

The Da Vinci Surgical System is a robot with four arms.

It’s controlled by a surgeon and allows doctors to operate in confined spaces with smaller incisions.

Dr. Ivar Mendez, Saskatchewan’s head of the department of surgery, announced the new technology on Monday.

“The recuperation time is shorter because you don’t have to heal these big incisions,” Mendez said.

With faster recovery times, Mendez hopes the robot can alleviate the surgery backlog in the province.

About 35,000 people are waiting for surgeries in Saskatchewan, according to Mendez.

The robot has precision beyond the human eye or hand.

Its wrist can rotate 360 degrees and gives surgeons 3D magnification.

It’s the first robot of its kind for Saskatchewan, but it has been used at other hospitals in Canada.

Mendez said the surgeons who use it aren’t looking back.

“It’s like having GPS on your cellphone and then going back to navigating with a paper map — not many people will do that,” Mendez said, laughing.

The robot will be deployed at St. Paul’s hospital and will focus on cancer-related surgeries, according to the Sask. Health Authority.

The cost of the robot is $2.5 million. Operational expenses in the first year are about $160,000 and will increase to $800,000 when the robotic system is fully implemented.

The Ministry of Health and the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation are funding the technology.

Merlis Belsher announced a $1 million donation to the project.

The robot’s name is Daryl, after Belsher’s late son.