The new equipment is specially designed to perform procedures through a single incision.
Bellvitge University Hospital has acquired a fifth surgical robot, a Da Vinci SP (Single Port) model. With this addition, the hospital consolidates the leadership it has held in robotic surgery in Spain for several years. Bellvitge Hospital is the hospital that performs the most robotic interventions annually in Spain and is also one of those applying this technology to the widest range of procedures, with excellent results in terms of complications, average length of stay and postoperative pain. The Da Vinci SP is a state-of-the-art surgical system with optimised instruments for performing surgery through a single incision or through natural openings. This incision, just 2.5 centimetres in diameter, is normally made at the navel, where the aesthetic impact is minimal, allowing it to accommodate a high-definition, three-dimensional camera and advanced software functions, as well as three surgical instruments which are deployed once inside the patient's body.
Using a single incision or natural orifices results in a further reduction in surgical trauma, post-operative pain and the risk of complications, leading to an earlier discharge and a quicker return to the patient's normal life.
Bellvitge Hospital has begun using the new uniportal surgical robot for a variety of procedures in the specialities of Gynaecology, Urology, Thoracic Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, and Otorhinolaryngology. This year it plans to perform between 350 and 400 surgical procedures with this new uniportal robot, and to reach between 500 and 600 procedures by 2027.
The recent commissioning of the new Da Vinci SP has enabled, among other advances, that virtually all lung cancer surgeries performed by the hospital (between 12 and 14 a week) are now carried out robotically. Likewise, it has enabled a substantial increase in robotic ENT surgeries, as the single-incision technique offers notable advantages for highly localised approaches such as oral floor cancer.
In 2025, Bellvitge University Hospital performed around 1,200 robotic procedures and, with the five robots it currently has and the additions it plans in the short to medium term, expects to perform around 1,600 robotic procedures in 2026 and nearly 2,000 in 2027.
‘Robotic surgery is now a standard’
Dr Álvaro Arcocha, Medical Director of Bellvitge University Hospital, highlights that ‘over the years since we began robotic surgery at our hospital in 2009, this technology has gone from being a novelty to becoming a standard’. Álvaro Arcocha also stresses that ‘at the Bellvitge University Hospital, we are fortunate to have surgical teams who are exceptionally knowledgeable, prepared and enthusiastic about this technology, and this is complemented by operating theatres that are among the most modern and best-equipped in Europe.’
Robotic surgery offers several advantages over open or laparoscopic surgery, which can be summarised as millimetre-level precision and better control, thanks to systems that amplify and filter the surgeon's movements, eliminating tremor and allowing for greater flexibility, a wider range of motion, and more delicate manoeuvres
Making minimal incisions, the surgeon operates with precise controls and an enlarged, three-dimensional image that improves the identification of complex tissues and anatomical structures. As a result, blood loss is minimised and, according to many studies, patients experience reduced post-operative pain, faster recovery, and a decrease in complications and readmissions.
Pioneering Hospital
Bellvitge Hospital currently has 3 Da Vinci robots, 1 Da Vinci SP robot (designed for single-port surgery) and 1 Versius robot (with a modular design that makes it easy to move). In recent years, it has been a pioneer in several robotic procedures, including the world's first robotic orthotopic kidney transplant, the first robotic single-incision rib removal, and Europe's first robotic sex reassignment surgery.
Likewise, Hospital de Bellvitge stands out for the wide range of procedures to which it applies this technology. In addition to the more common specialities (urology, gynaecology, thoracic surgery, general and digestive surgery...), almost two years ago it also began to apply robotics to fields such as liver surgery, pancreatic surgery or living kidney transplantation, and strengthened its application in oesophageal cancer surgery, all areas where robotic surgery has not yet reached the majority of other hospitals.
The Bellvitge Hospital also stands out for its commitment to training and research, with initiatives such as the deployment of a simulation system for teaching or the organisation of major international courses in robotic surgery. It has also helped to establish new robotic surgery programmes in various hospitals in Catalonia and the rest of the country.
This progression will continue in the future with new initiatives. Thus, work is already under way on the possibility of incorporating the Symani robot, specialising in microsurgery, in the coming months, which allows procedures such as breast neoplasms or hand and brachial plexus microsurgery to be performed. These interventions require working on very small-calibre vessels and nerves that cannot be addressed with the Da Vinci.
Furthermore, it has begun making enquiries with a view to also incorporating the DaVinci 5 model in the medium term, equipment that has yet to reach the market and which will include significant improvements and new indications – such as cardiac surgery – compared to current models. Likewise, the hospital has begun preparing to perform robotic liver transplants in the medium term.