A cut above

A BARCELONA hospital has carried out a pioneering lung transplant operation with a robot involving a less invasive procedure for the patient.

The four-pronged robot called Da Vinci was used at the Vall d’Hebron hospital in a surgery that no longer required opening up the chest and sep-

Casillas award

SPAIN’S World Cup

2010 winning captain

Iker Casillas has been awarded a Gold Medal for services to cardiovascular health at the annual congress of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) in Barcelona.

The ex-keeper, 41, ended his playing career in 2020 after almost a year on the sidelines following a heart attack he suffered during a training session with his Porto teammates.

He now works at raising the awareness of maintaining a healthy heart and spotting the signs of a heart attack.

Pioneering lung transplant operation carried out by robot

By Alex Trelinski

arating ribs.

Da Vinci cut through just a small area of the patient’s skin, fat and muscle to remove the damaged lung and inserted a new one through an eight-centimetre incision in the lower part of the sternum, just above the diaphragm. Besides being safer than previous techniques, which needed a 30-centimetre cut, the patient's post-op treatment involves less pain as the smaller wound closes far more easily.

Vall d’Hebron’s Lung Transplant head, Albert Jauregui, said: “We believe it is a technique that will improve patients’ life quality, the post-surgery period and reduce pain. We hope this technique will eventually spread to more centres.”

The procedure had only previously been used in lung cancer operations and was used on 65-year-old Xavier who needed a lung transplant after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis since 2007.

“I weighed up the pros and cons,” he told reporters.

“I totally trusted the robot machines because they reduce human error,” added Xavier.

He backed up Albert Jauregui's analysis by saying that he woke up after February’s operation and felt no pain whatsoever.

Doctor Zoom

MEDICAL consultations carried out online could become the norm following a successful trial amongst nine medical centres across the Comunidad Valenciana.

So far the reception from patients has been positive, particularly amongst those who have to fit medical appointments around their jobs.

The Department of Health has suggested video consultations could be launched across the region but recognises that some cases will necessitate face-to-face meetings.

FIRST: Lung transplant by robot

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