Test-drive a surgical robot at the Royal Free Hospital

27 June 2019, 10:00 – 16:00

Location: The atrium, Royal Free Hospital

Patients, staff and members of the public are being given the chance to ‘test drive’ a surgical robot as part of celebrations to mark the fifth birthday of robotic surgery at the Royal Free London (RFL).

A full day of activities, including talks on artificial intelligence and the future of robotics at the RFL, is planned for Thursday 27 between 10am and 4pm in the atrium at the Royal Free Hospital.

During coffee and lunch breaks, those who wish to operate the Da Vinci surgical robot, will be able to do so with the assistance of on-hand experts.

The team will also cut a birthday cake made in honour of the robot during the lunch break.

Ravi Barod, consultant urological surgeon at the RFH said: “We are celebrating a great milestone for the RFH. In five years, we have become the largest robotic kidney surgery centre in the country, performing more robotic kidney cancer and transplant operations than any other centre in the UK.

“We will also be celebrating our recognition as a European Training Centre for Robotic Urology Surgery, with a visiting professor, Henk van der Poel, giving us a guest lecture and presenting a certificate to recognise this achievement.”

Agenda:

  • 10-10.05am: welcome with Axel Bex
  • 10.05-10.15am: what have we achieved with robotics at RFH by Ravi Barod

Session 1: training in robotic surgery

  • 10.15-10.45am: EAU ERUS robotic urology training by Henk van der Poel
  • 10.45-10.55am: ERUS Partial Nephrectomy Curriculum by Teele Kuusk
  • 10.55-11.05am: BAUS/RCS Kidney Cancer Fellowship by Aziz Gulamhusein
  • 11.05-11.30am: coffee break and robot test drive opportunity

Session 2: research

  • 11.30-11.50am: departmental research projects by Maxine Tran and Fellows
  • 11.50am-12.10pm: computer vision and AI in robotic surgery by Prof Dan Stoyanov
  • 12.10-12.20pm: 3D image reconstruction to assist robotic surgery by Faiz Mumtaz and Lorenz Berger
  • 12.20-12.30pm: safety and training in the robotics theatre by Angeline Shoniwa
  • 12.30-12.45pm: robotic surgery crisis simulation by Premala Nadarajah
  • 12.45-1pm: enhanced recovery after nephrectomy by John Withington, Craig Lyness and David Cullen
  • 1-1.45pm: lunch and robot test drive opportunity

Session 3: What is the robot used for at RFH?

  • 1.45-1.55pm: robotic partial nephrectomy by Axel Bex
  • 1.55-2.05pm: robotic nephroureterectomy by Ravi Barod
  • 2.05-2.15pm: robotic pyeloplasty by Prasad Patki
  • 2.15-2.25pm: robotic renal transplantation by Ravi Barod
  • 2.25-2.45pm: surgical care practitioner programme and launch of surgical school by Pedro Silva
  • 2.45-3.15pm: coffee break and robot test drive opportunity

Session 4: The future of robotic surgery

  • 3.15-3.45pm: robotic urology: how and why in the Netherlands by Henk van der Poel
  • 3.45-4pm: the future of robotics at RFH by Axel Bex