Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital using Robotic-arm Technology

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Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital performs knee joint surgery using robotic-arm technology


Robotic surgeries have been around for a while, but at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital, doctors announced that for the first time, they replaced an entire knee joint on an elderly patient using the Stryker’s Mako robotic arm.

The robotic-arm assisted surgery was developed for knee replacements. It does a CT scan of the patient, creating a 3D image and helping surgeons create a plan. The technology guides surgeons on precisely where to cut, avoiding incisions on sensitive areas such as blood arteries and nerve endings.

The Siriraj Hip and Knee Joint Replacement Excellence Centre has been using robotic-assisted technology for knee operations since 2007, the centre’s director says, according to the Bangkok Post. The procedure will now be offered to patients admitted at the Siriraj Hospital as well as the Golden Jubilee Medical Centre in Nakhon Pathom.

The surgery would be done at the Siriraj Hospital and patients would then be transferred back to the hospital where they were first admitted.

[Sundance2020]

Siriraj Hospital announces Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant



Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant, where one of the intestines is replaced along with other abdominal organs, was completed by Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital. The surgery is a simultaneous transplant of multiple organs, including the liver, small intestines and sometimes the stomach.

For the patient in Thailand, surgeons transplanted the intestine, liver, pancreas, and stomach. The four abdominal organs were transplanted simultaneously. The procedure was done last year, after waiting two years for donated organs suited for the patient, and the announcement of the first successful multi-visceral transplant was made this week.

The patient had been diagnosed with a tumour in her small intestine back in 2018. But after she had the tumour removed, she developed an abdominal blood clot, limiting blood circulation to the small intestine and other abdominal organs. The loss of blood flow caused certain organs to fail, requiring an operation to remove them. However, the patient was left with a number of problems that had a negative impact on her health.

The group of doctors then decided that she needed an intestine, liver, pancreas, and stomach transplant. They waited more than two years for donated organs and made extensive precautions since this had never been done in Thailand before. The Thai Red Cross Society alerted the team in 2021 that organs from a donor fit the criteria are ready. It took the team seven hours to operate.

The patient was able to return home after nearly three months in the hospital, but she still needs to see the physicians on a regular basis to monitor her health.