Annual Report 2021
Surgical Center
R.Hayashi, W. Kitazawa
Introduction
The 12 operation rooms at the Surgical Center are used by 12 surgical departments. As our main strategy is less-invasive and function-preserving surgery, we conduct more thoracoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries than other hospitals. Indications for robot-assisted surgery have been expanding year by year. We increase medical safety through good communication between anesthesiologists, nurses, doctors and other medical staff members.
The Team and What We Do
The total number of surgical operations performed in the current fiscal year was 4344, a record high (Table 1).
Robot-assisted surgery was conducted in the Department of Urology, Gastric Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Esophageal Surgery and Gynecology, bringing the total number of robotic-assisted procedures performed to 462. At the end of year, applications regarding robot-assisted distal pancreatectomy, robot-assisted nephrectomy and robot-assisted total nephroureterectomy were submitted for review to the exploratory committee for innovative medical technology by the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and the Department Urology with a view to gaining approval for them as insurance treatments.
A lot of residents visited our hospital for training because NCCHE is a designated institution for training in robotic gastric surgery. In addition, the increasing number of taTME procedures for rectal cancer arouses their interest. We started holding seminars in order to educate other hospitals’ doctors by using live operation images.
Orthopedic surgery began this year. Although operations for soft tissue tumors will be the main procedures initially, ones for bone tumors will also be introduced.
Table 1. Total number of operations
We will continue to build up an effective cooperation system for innovating new medical techniques
Education
We have established a cross-departmental education system for the training of surgical residents. In particular, we provide systematic and efficient education in endoscopic surgery. This year, due to the spread of COVID-19, opportunities for technical training for visitors and residents from home and abroad have decreased compared with previous years. However, our physicians can make use of our robot technology and continue their training, allowing them to improve their skills without being affected by the social situation.
Seminars, including online seminars about robotic surgery for nurses, were held because of the increasing number of robotic surgeries. All nurses attended and got the certificate of completion. These seminars will be given systematically so that all nurses can adapt to robotic surgery. We have worked to strengthen cooperation with the ICU, with a view toward the future development of operating room nursing. Training in ICU operations for operating room nurses and training in operating room operations for ICU nurses are held regularly.
It is expected that there will be an increasing number of clinical studies in surgery, and an increasing number of advanced new medical technologies will be introduced, in addition to the expected continuous growth in the number of surgical operations performed. We consider it essential to partner with not only physicians and nurses but also other professions to continue our efforts to train healthcare professionals with an eye toward the next generation of healthcare.