Azerbaijani doctors perform country's first robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery PHOTO

Doctors at the National Oncology Center have successfully performed Azerbaijan’s first-ever robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, marking a milestone in the country’s medical history.

The procedure was carried out using the KangDuo robotic assistant, developed by the Chinese medical equipment manufacturer Sagebot, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Before the operation, Azerbaijani surgeons and hospital staff completed a specialized training program led by medical experts invited from China and Kazakhstan specifically for this surgery.

The Health Ministry praised the innovation, noting that the adoption of robotic-assisted technologies opens new horizons for Azerbaijan’s healthcare system.

The use of advanced technology is now proving indispensable in the operating room. With the help of robotic arms, surgeons can perform procedures once considered impossible.

Systems such as the Vinci robot — the industry’s best-known device and the inspirational model for KangDuo, which in contrast to its blueprint competitor features an additional arm — are equipped with surgical tools mounted on small, highly flexible wrists.

Their movements can be finely “scaled.” Positioned at a console elsewhere in the operating theater, the surgeon views the patient in real time through a camera and operates the robotic arms using two joysticks, enabling minimally invasive surgery with far greater precision.

The benefits of robotic surgery have been widely studied in recent years. Research from Utrecht University’s UMC concludes that, across different surgical fields, patients experience less pain and reduced blood loss after robotic procedures, recover more quickly, and spend fewer days in hospital.

The precision also minimizes internal damage during surgery, helping to better preserve delicate structures such as nerves.

By Nazrin Sadigova