New Surgical Robots expand use to help more patients

More patients across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are seeing the benefits of investment into surgical robots across our local health system, as newly purchased surgical robots expand into new services.

Having previously been launched at the Great Western Hopsital in Swindon and the Royal United Hospital in Bath, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust have now begun using their robot for treating urology patients.

Meanwhile, the machines are also being used to treat more patients in Swindon and Bath. At the Great Western Hospital, gynaecology surgeons have begun using the robot while at the Royal United Hospital in Bath both gynaecology oncology and radical prostatectomy surgeries have already been carried out.

The expanding use of these machines is part of an ongoing region-wide commitment to invest in the latest technology. By expanding the use of these robots, more specialities are now able to operate on patients with greater precision and perform complex procedures with minimal access.

Rob Ritchie, Consultant Urological Surgeon from Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, says:

“The use of the surgical robot in Salisbury Hospital will improve patient outcomes and ensure that we can attract the next generation of surgeons who want to work in units offering minimally invasive surgery. Specifically, during kidney surgery, the robot allows accurate operating in very small spaces around the blood vessels supplying the kidney. This helps to minimise the risk of major bleeding. In patients who need their ureter removed as well as their kidney, the robot means we can avoid an open incision in the lower abdomen. This means they can go home then next day and have considerably less pain after surgery.”

Lead Gynae Oncology Consultant at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Amy Keighley, says:

“We’re delighted to have begun using the Great Western Hospital’s new surgical robot within our Gynaecology department. The robot allows us to utilise 3D vision and improved access to the pelvis with the use of wristed instruments. We anticipate that patients will get less postoperative pain, which we hope will help with recovery times. This is a significant advancement in the care we can provide to our patients, and ensuring the very best surgeons want to work here in Swindon.”

You can find out more about how new surgical robots being used in the local area work, by watching this video: