As medical technology advances, sophisticated equipment is increasingly making surgical wounds smaller.
In the past, bowel surgery, for example, required a 20 to 30 cm incision. Now, the same operation can be performed with a wound less than 1 cm, or just 8 mm to be precise.
The incision size with the da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery, which is now available at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital, is only 8 mm, less than 1 cm.
Meanwhile, conventional surgery requires an average opening of around 20-30 cm. Surgery around the urinary tract generally required an incision of 10 to 20 cm before the use of robotics.
For the urinary tract, for example the prostate is in the lower part, so the incision is usually smaller, 10, 15 to 20 cm, but it is still large.
The da Vinci Xi is the fourth generation of the American da Vinci robot. With various improvements over the previous three generations, the da Vinci Xi is considered to have improved performance.
This device is equipped with a camera that can capture high-resolution images inside the body. Its 10x zoom capability makes it easier for doctors to view the patient's condition. The resulting images can also be three-dimensional (3D).
The resulting image is in 3D form, so it's like we're watching a 3D film.
Getting to Know da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery
On December 11 & 12, 2025, Dr. Handy Wing, Sp.B, Subsp.BD(K), FBMS, FICS, FInaCS performed the first Bariatric surgery with da Vinci Xi at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital.
So, the da Vinci Xi is one of the surgical robot platforms produced by an American company. It's often used as a benchmark for other companies' robots. It's the most advanced robot with the most applications in hospitals worldwide.
Luckily in Indonesia, EMC Healthcare was one of the first hospitals to have this robot to assist surgeons in their work.
The da Vinci Xi robot consists of three parts. The first part is the robot, which sits beside the patient and has four arms to assist with the surgical procedure. The second part is a console for the surgeon to control the robot. And the third part is a monitor to view the results of the robot's examination.
So far, only two hospitals have implemented da Vinci Xi in Indonesia, one of which is EMC Alam Sutera Hospital.
What Operations is the da Vinci Xi Robot Used for?
Furthermore, da Vinci Xi Robotic Surgery can be used for complex and high-intensity operations.
For example, it's used in cancer cases, particularly in the colorectal (colon), stomach, and esophageal areas, and can be used for liver and pancreatic problems. It can also be used for hernias and bariatric surgery to treat obesity.
There are several advantages to bariatric surgery with the da Vinci Xi. These include less pain due to the much smaller incisions. Recovery is also faster and there's less bleeding requiring transfusions.
Furthermore, if the wound is small, the risk of infection is also small. Because the abdomen isn't opened, the risk of germs entering is lower.
This article was created based on the Healthy Monday program in collaboration between EMC Healthcare and Liputan6, with sources Dr. Handy Wing, Sp.B, Subsp.BD(K), FBMS, FICS, FInaCS (Surgeon Specialist – Digestive Surgery Subspecialist, EMC Alam Sutera Hospital) & Dr. Aga Parardya, Sp.U(K) (Urologic Surgeon, Trauma & Urology Reconstruction Consultant, EMC Alam Sutera Hospital).