NHS Ayrshire & Arran is now delighted to announce expansion of this surgical procedure to include some colorectal and urology surgery.
Mr Christopher Ray, consultant colorectal surgeon for NHS Ayrshire & Arran said,
“I am delighted to now be able to offer this cutting-edge surgery to our patients with bowel cancer. The introduction of this robot assisted surgery to NHS Ayrshire & Arran is the result of several years of ambitious planning and collaborative team work and is a landmark in surgical progress for the region.”
This pioneering surgery has many benefits to patients such as, being less invasive, having fewer complications and faster recovery. As a modern, state of the art technology, robot assisted surgery will help to attract and retain additional skilled surgical staff.
Consultant urological surgeon for NHS Ayrshire & Arran, Mr Ross Clark added,
“To be able to offer this type of procedure locally is a huge advantage to our patients and their families. We aim to start treatment for patients with kidney problems before expanding the use of robot assisted surgery to other conditions such as pelvic cancer work. Our patients will experience cutting edge surgical services close to their homes with rapid recovery times and less time in hospital.”
Mr Christopher Ray added,
“Complex and difficult operations in confined anatomical spaces can now be carried out with greater precision and better visualisation with a 3-D camera. Our patients can expect to leave the hospital sooner and return to full activity more quickly than before.”
Mr Eric George was one of the first patients to have this procedure at University Hospital Crosshouse. “I was told in July that my operation was being planned using robotics. My consultant, Mr Ray took the time to explain things in a way I could understand and answered all the questions my wife and I asked him.
Thanks mainly to Mr Ray’s skill as a surgeon and also to the robotics, I recovered remarkably quickly from my major surgery and I was able to go home just four days later.
The next stage in the development is the installation of the Intuitive ‘Hub’ which will help with the robot assisted surgical training of other surgeons and operating theatre staff. Over the next three years the aim is to have 300 patients per year undergoing robot assisted surgery in Ayrshire.