Gleneagles Hospital Johor marks 500 robotic surgeries and first robotic heart bypass in Malaysia

Gleneagles Hospital Johor announced that its robotic surgery unit has performed more than 500 minimally invasive operations since the system was introduced, positioning it among the early adopters in southern Malaysia. The hospital achieved a national first by completing a robotic-assisted Left Internal Mammary Artery coronary artery bypass graft, expanding the use of robotics into complex cardiac procedures. Surgeons operate through small incisions using a console-controlled robotic arm that translates hand movements into precise micro-movements and provides three-dimensional imaging.

Benefits cited include less blood loss, lower infection risk, reduced postoperative pain and shorter hospital stays, which are increasingly valuable as Malaysia’s population ages and chronic diseases rise. The multidisciplinary team, led by doctors Lim Kian Hwa, Hon Sook Kit, Alexandriia See, Zainal Adwin Zainalabidin, Han Pei Kwong and Adli Azam Mohammad Razi, aims to improve patient quality of life beyond clinical outcomes. Hospital chief operating officer Thanabalan Muthaliar emphasized that the technology is intended to enhance recovery and enable patients to resume normal activities sooner.