Surgeons in Bogota’s Marly Clinic operated on a two-year-old boy to remove a malformation located in the urethra behind the bladder and repair the urinary tract.
“This was the first such surgery performed in Latin America,” Dr. Manuel Rueda of the clinic told Colombia Reports.
The team of doctors was led by Pablo Gomez, Director of Pediatric Robotic Urology at the Florida Hospital for Children, who is one of the few surgeons trained to use the machine in pediatric surgery. Dr. Gomez said that the
“The fact that Colombia has made such a huge investment is very important,” said the surgeon who is part of a joint venture with the Walt Disney Pavillion at the Florida Hospital for Children and Universidad de Los Andes offering training and support to Colombian doctors.
“We have a tight relationship… We had lots of meetings while we were there with the goal of coming up with a program. We had so many ideas we are now planning a new meeting with the agenda of narrowing them down,” said Dr. Gomez.
There are many advantages to robotic-assisted surgery according to Dr. Gomez including faster recovery time, reduced blood loss and less pain. This, according to the doctor will make this type of surgery more attractive to patients and parents.
Sources
- Colombia: First in Robotic Science in Latin America
- Bogotá realizó la primera cirugía robótica a un menor en Latinoamérica