CHUV deploys Western Switzerland’s first single-port robotic surgical assistant

The Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) has deployed the Da Vinci Single Port robotic surgical assistant, becoming the first hospital in Western Switzerland to offer this technology. In clinical use since April 2026, the system performs minimally invasive procedures through a single incision of approximately 2.7 cm or via a natural orifice, such as the mouth, vagina, or anus, depending on the intervention. A surgeon controls the robot’s ultra-miniaturized instruments and high-definition 3D camera from an ergonomic seated console, with the system filtering natural hand tremors and reproducing movements at a precise 1:1 scale.

The new system complements the four-arm Da Vinci robot already in service at CHUV since 2021, extending the hospital’s robotic surgery capabilities to procedures where a single point of entry reduces tissue damage, post-operative pain, opioid use, and hospital stay duration. Procedures involving natural orifice access leave no external scar. The technology is scientifically validated to reduce blood loss, complications, and hospital readmissions compared to conventional techniques, and supports same-day discharge in a growing number of cases.

Approximately 400 patients per year are expected to benefit from the system at CHUV across six surgical specialties: ear, nose and throat (tonsils and pharynx), urology (kidneys, prostate, ureter, and bladder), thoracic surgery (lungs and thoracic wall), visceral surgery (pancreas, colon, rectum, and abdominal wall), gynecology (breast and uterus), and pediatrics.

The system also includes a 3D virtual simulator that allows surgeons to familiarize themselves with the robot and practice manual skills through repeated exercises before operating on patients. Skills acquired on the simulator are transferable to other surgical techniques, robotic or otherwise, and contribute to raising the overall precision of surgical gestures. The integration of this training tool reflects a broader ambition at CHUV: meeting the growing demand from junior surgeons for regular access to cutting-edge robotic technology as part of their professional development.