Severance Hospital announced on the 21st that it has become the first single institution in the world to surpass 50,000 robot-assisted surgeries.
Robot-assisted surgery allows physicians to remotely control robotic arms equipped with a wide range of motion and tremor-filtration technology, enabling more delicate and precise procedures than the human hand. By minimizing skin incisions, the method reduces scarring and bleeding, leading to faster patient recovery times.
Since performing South Korea's first robot-assisted surgery in 2005, Severance Hospital has seen exponential growth in the field. The institution reached 10,000 cases in 2013, 20,000 in 2018, 30,000 in 2021, and 40,000 in 2024. This latest milestone comes just 28 months after hitting the 40,000-case mark.
The 50,000th patient was Kim, a 65-year-old man who underwent a partial nephrectomy for a kidney tumor. The procedure was performed by Professor Ham Won-sik of the Department of Urology, who also serves as the Director of the Severance Hospital Robot & Endoscopic Surgery Center. Kim, who has managed diabetes for several years, underwent the robot-assisted procedure after it was determined that the tumor could be removed while preserving the rest of the kidney.
Severance Hospital currently operates 12 surgical robots and two training robots. The technology is utilized across a vast array of clinical departments, including Urology, Thyroid & Endocrine Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Otolaryngology, Colorectal Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, and Breast Surgery.
Intuitive Surgical, the manufacturer of the “da Vinci” surgical system, has officially accredited Severance Hospital as an international training center in recognition of its clinical expertise. To date, approximately 2,300 physicians from 43 countries have traveled to Severance to receive specialized training in robotic techniques.
"Reaching 50,000 robot-assisted surgeries reflects our unwavering focus on patient safety and treatment outcomes, rather than just the numbers," said Lee Kang-young, President of Severance Hospital. "We will continue to strengthen patient-tailored precision medicine through advanced surgical technologies and clinical excellence."
