KBC Rijeka performs first digestive surgeries using da Vinci robotic system

Team (left to right) Davorin Brajdić – surgical instrument technician, Predrag Vlahović – surgical instrument technician, Associate Professor Marko Zelić, MD, PhD – Head of the Department of Digestive Surgery, Associate Professor Alemka Brnčić-Fischer, MD, PhD – Director of KBC Rijeka, Professor Rosen Dimov, MD, PhD – proctor, Associate Professor Miroslav Župčić, MD, PhD – anaesthesiologist, Dorian Kršul, MD, PhD – specialist in digestive surgery, Luciana Jakšić – resident in digestive surgery (Photo: KBC Rijeka)

RIJEKA, 21 September 2026 – The Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka (KBC Rijeka) has performed its first digestive surgery procedures using the da Vinci robotic surgical system, marking the beginning of a new robotic surgery programme at the hospital.

The first operations were carried out at the Department of Digestive Surgery within the KBC Rijeka Surgery Clinic. The introduction of the robotic system was financed directly from the state budget of Croatia.

The procedures were performed by Professor Marko Zelić, head of the Department of Digestive Surgery, and Dr Dorian Kršul, a specialist in abdominal surgery, the hospital said in a statement on Monday.

The Rijeka team carried out the first procedures under the professional guidance of international proctor Professor Rosen Dimov from the Medical University of Plovdiv in Bulgaria.

The procedures involved a wider multidisciplinary team, including anaesthesiologists, anaesthesia technicians, operating theatre staff and nurses and technicians who supported the introduction of the new system.

The launch of the robotic programme follows almost two decades of development of minimally invasive surgery at the Department of Digestive Surgery.

The department has systematically developed advanced laparoscopic surgery and surgical training since 2006, with a particular focus on colorectal surgery. The introduction of the da Vinci platform is expected to further expand the centre’s technological and educational capabilities.

The first procedures also mark the start of a structured programme to develop robotic-assisted surgery at KBC Rijeka.

According to the hospital, the aim is to gradually incorporate robotic-assisted procedures into the regular surgical programme as operating teams complete the necessary training and gain experience. The approach will initially be used for carefully selected patients for whom robotic surgery may offer advantages.

KBC Rijeka said the successful launch was the result of cooperation between surgeons, anaesthesiologists, operating theatre staff, nurses, technicians and other hospital services involved in preparing and establishing the new surgical system.

The hospital said the programme represents a further step in the development of modern surgery and specialist training, while expanding access to advanced minimally invasive treatment methods for patients in the region.