QEII Foundation spending $3.8M for surgical robot for Halifax health sciences centre

The da Vinci Xi is a surgical robot at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. (Source: QEII Foundation)

The QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax now has a seventh surgical robot, which will assist with colorectal cancer, hepatobiliary and thoracic operations.

The QEII Foundation spent $3.8 million on the da Vinci Xi, which features multiple robotic arms and a high-definition 3D camera. Surgeons use the system from a console in the operating room, according to a news release from Nova Scotia Health.

This machine is the second da Vinci surgical robot at the QEII. The QEII Foundation raised $8.1 million to bring the first da Vinci to Halifax in 2019.

“This milestone represents a powerful step forward for surgical care in Nova Scotia,” said Dr. Gail Darling, QEII thoracic surgeon and head of surgery at Nova Scotia Health (Central Zone), in the release. “The da Vinci Xi expands what we’re able to offer patients today — enabling new procedures, greater precision and increased access across multiple specialties.

“It also supports our broader vision to continue building a Centre of Excellence in Robotic Surgery at the QEII, strengthening clinical excellence, training and innovation for the benefit of patients across the province.”

The da Vinci Xi resides in the new Anthony and Nouha Metlege Surgical Robotics Suite at the QEII, which was unveiled on Wednesday.

“When we’re able to minimize the invasiveness of surgery using a robotic platform, patients recover faster and spend less time in the hospital,” said Dr. Boris Gala-Lopez, multi-organ transplant surgeon. “In one of our first complex cases with the da Vinci Xi, our patient went home the next day. For cancer patients, a quick recovery can also mean moving on to further treatments like chemotherapy sooner.”

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