Epworth Geelong celebrates 20th anniversary of robotic surgery in Australia

Inspired by a surgical revolution he witnessed in the USA, urologist Professor Tony Costello spearheaded the introduction of robotic surgery in Australia.

“I had seen a prototype of robotics in the US, developed by a start-up company at Stanford University,” Prof. Costello said.

“The US Department of Defence and NASA collaborated to build a robot that would digitise a surgeon’s hand movements inside a body, through small ports. I was just blown away by the technology.”

When Prof Costello returned to Australia, he met with Epworth CEO Denis Hogg.

“Denis, in his great wisdom, spent $3 million and purchased one of the robots.”

The Da Vinci surgical robot was the first in the Asia-Pacific region.

Professor Tony Costello conducted the ground-breaking operation on a prostate cancer patient.

“There were no textbooks or training videos,” Prof. Costello said.

“We soon became leaders in the field, developing a program to train 53 international surgeons at Epworth.”

Two decades later, Epworth hospitals are celebrating their role in revolutionising surgical procedures.

The group now boasts nearly 20 robots which in 2022 alone played a key role in over 2,500 surgeries across various specialties including orthopaedics, urology, general surgery, cardiac, and more.

Epworth Geelong installed its first surgical robot in 2018.

Professor Glenn Guest oversees surgical training at the centre.

“Traditionally, a doctor would learn surgery by watching a mentor, who is a senior surgeon performing the operation. However, there is a big step from observation to performing surgery, with surgical instruments in their hands,” Prof. Guest said.

“In some of our hospitals, Epworth now has dual console surgical robots, so a trainee can gain a simulated experience, while an experienced surgeon performs the operation.

“It means the trainee surgeon is seeing and feeling what the senior surgeon is doing and you can phase the level of responsibility the trainee surgeon takes on.

“It’s like learning to drive, when you sit in a car with a driving instructor who has a dual control. It is a tremendous way of teaching surgeons.”

A significant milestone was in 2017 when robots began assisting in joint replacement surgeries at Epworth.

Since then, more than 2,500 procedures, including hip, knee, and partial knee replacements, have been performed.

In 2021, Epworth Geelong was the first hospital in regional Victoria to get a Mako robot for orthopaedic surgery.

Last financial year, the centre undertook 285 robotic surgeries in orthopaedics, general, urology, and gynaecology.

Prof. Costello has since written a ground-breaking textbook on robotic surgery.

This extensive 800-page textbook, edited by urologist Dr Fairleigh Reeves, illustrates the collaborative nature encouraged by robotic technology in surgical practices.

Reflecting on the early days, Prof. Costello said it took a few years before surgeons were convinced that robots were the way of the future.

“It took me about four years to realise the train had well and truly left the station and we weren’t going back.

“20 years later, we now have ten different robotic systems in every surgical discipline,” Prof. Costello said.