A group of early-career professionals (ECPs) in the field of robotic surgery in Hungary could participate as observers in robot-assisted surgeries recently performed by the director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Debrecen Clinical Center. As a proctor during the course of the procedures, Zoárd Krasznai shared his professional experience and practical expertise with the participants while providing them with useful advice to assist them in performing effective robotic surgical procedures on their own in the future.
The robot-assisted surgical system named “Da Vinci” has been in use at the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen as of April 2024. Since launching the program, Zoárd Krasznai has performed more than 160 robot-assisted procedures. Due to his outstanding professional activities, he will be able to teach the surgical technique in the future as a proctor.
- Earning the status of a proctor (in this case, meaning an instructor) is subject to rather strict professional criteria. It requires not only a vast number of surgical cases. It is also mandatory that a surgeon should possess extensive and complex surgical experience while demonstrating reliable and good surgical outcomes apart from working quickly and with a low complication rate. All of these factors together were necessary for the professional foundation that allowed me to take on an active part in the practical training of robotic surgery- said Associate Professor Zoárd Krasznai, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen, in an interview with hirek.unideb.hu.
Zoárd Krasznai also added the following: Whenever a new robotic surgery program is first launched, the manufacturer of the equipment used delegates an experienced proctor to the site, whose principal task is to ensure and guarantee patient safety from the very beginning and to provide professional support to the operating surgeon until that surgeon gains the indispensable initial experience and confidence at the console to perform these procedures on his or her own in the future.
- As a matter of course, the opportunity to work as a proctor in the future is not only a personal professional success for me but also an important step from the perspective of the University of Debrecen. It means that we have become part and parcel of an extensive, significant international network as educators, given the fact that the Da Vinci robot is used in thousands of clinical centers around the world. Getting to the forefront of a system that operates according to international standards, under rigorous oversight and quality assurance, indicates that the professional activities pursued here meet even the highest international expectations. At the same time, it also proves that the work carried out at the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen is consistent, of top quality, and reliable- said Zoárd Krasznai.
Concerning the appointment, Professor Zoltán Szabó, President of the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen, noted the following: Under the guidance and leadership of Zoárd Krasznai, obstetrics and gynecological care has not just developed dynamically from a professional standpoint but has also been at the vanguard of introducing innovative procedures, as a consequence of which it has now become a patient care center of European standards.
- This recognition is also a confirmation of Director Zoárd Krasznai’s outstanding leadership through the years. His consistent professional development has contributed significantly to the fact that the field of obstetrics and gynecology in Debrecen is practiced now to meet European standards. Under his leadership, state-of-the-art technologies, innovation and top-quality patient care have been organically integrated. I regard it particularly important that this appreciation of professional excellence strengthens not only the international reputation of our institution but also that of our entire region as well as the Hungarian healthcare system as a whole- said Professor Zoltán Szabó, President of the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen.
The robot-assisted surgical system at the Clinical Center of the University of Debrecen is used not only for general surgical, urological and gynecological procedures but also for thoracic surgery and otolaryngological procedures. Since the launching of the program to utilize the equipment, there have been approximately 1,200 robot-assisted procedures performed at the institution.
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