The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 21
Surgical teams at Southmead Hospital carry out 24
robo琀椀c-assisted gynaecology procedures in two days
The gynaecology surgical
programme at Southmead
Hospital in Bristol has carried out
24 robotic-assisted procedures
in a single weekend, setting
a record for NHS trusts in the
South West region and matching
the national record.
Over the weekend of 25 - 26
November, two surgical teams
operated in two theatres side
by side, using two Da Vinci Xi
surgical robots to complete the
24 procedures, showcasing the
capacity that is possible with
robotic surgical equipment.
As well as a shorter operating
time, using a surgical robot
provides surgeons with better
precision and accuracy during
procedures.
When compared with standard
keyhole or open surgery
approaches, robotic-assisted
surgery offers patients
procedures that are less invasive
with a shorter recovery time.
Of the 24 patients treated during
the weekend, 17 were discharged
the same day.
The teams undertook a high
intensity theatre (HIT) list, an
ef昀椀cient and safe programme
used to maximise the number
of patients being treated and
reduce waiting lists.
The careful planning of a HIT
list and utilising robotic surgical
equipment meant 50% more
patients than usual were able
to be treated in a day in each
theatre.
The surgeries carried out
included hysterectomies,
endometriosis procedures and
some more complex cases.
This year, 100 additional
hysterectomy procedures have
taken place at Southmead
Hospital, which is run by North
Bristol NHS Trust, because of the
capacity that robotic surgical
equipment has provided.
Julie Stollery, a sonographer
from Chepstow, underwent a
robotic-assisted hysterectomy at
Southmead Hospital in July and
was surprised at how well she
felt after the procedure: “The
wounds were really small and not
troublesome at all, I almost felt
like I hadn’t had anything done.
“I’m back at work, 昀椀ghting
昀椀t and I feel better than I
did before the procedure as I
don’t have the symptoms I had
previously.”
Gynaecology consultant, Jessica
Preshaw, who operated during
the weekend, said:
“Robotic technology is allowing
our gynaecology team to achieve
great things for our patients and
the Trust. With this cutting-edge
equipment, our patients often
recover more quickly and have a
shorter stay in hospital, as well
as potentially improving their
quality of life with life-changing
procedures.”
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Islam Gamaleldin, a gynaecology
consultant who also operated
over the weekend said: “It took
an incredible collaborative
effort to carry out this number
of procedures and it wouldn’t
have been possible without our
fantastic teams who made the
weekend such a success.”
Chief Medical Of昀椀cer, Tim
Whittlestone, said: “We’re proud
to be continuing to expand
our robotic-assisted surgery
programme and utilising this
innovation for the bene昀椀t of our
patients.”
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Issue 399
North Bristol NHS Trust has
been expanding its roboticassisted surgery programme into
complex subspecialty surgeries
in colorectal and gynaecology,
helping to improve patient
experience and outcomes. The
trust’s robotic-assisted surgery
programme in urology has now
completed over 3,000 procedures
since 2014.
December
2023
21