Robotic milestone reached by our top team | Research News

Surgeons at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust reached a milestone in pioneering robotic treatment by operating on their 3,000^th pelvic cancer patient.

The Trust is a national leader in this field, with figures showing it carried out more prostatectomies - surgery to remove the prostate gland - than anywhere else in the UK.

It also remains among the top performers for cystectomies - surgery to remove the urinary bladder - which is the other type of Urological pelvic cancer surgery performed here.

Father-of-two Martin Barawitzka, 60, was the 3,000^th patient and received a radical prosectomy in a two-and-a-half hour operation.

The widower, who lost his wife to breast cancer in 2018, said: “It was really quite exciting when I found out that a robot was going to be assisting with my surgery.

“I was eager to see how it would all work, so watched some videos on the internet to see what was going to happen.”

Mr Barawitzka, who went home two days after the successful procedure, added: “It’s amazing to think that I am the 3,000^th patient the surgeons have operated on using these robots and also incredibly reassuring.”

Royal Surrey is one of the only single site NHS Trusts in the UK to have four cutting edge robots, with three dedicated to performing surgery and one to help with training.

Surgeons at the hospital based in Guildford, Surrey, have been performing robotically assisted procedures for more than a decade.

The cutting edge machines allow surgeons to use a control console to manoeuvre the robots arms, whilst using a minimally invasive approach, also known as keyhole surgery.

As a result, patients benefit from a shorter hospital stay, quicker recovery, reduced blood loss and discomfort post-surgery and much more.

Previously, a patient undergoing a cystectomy through traditional surgery could expect to spend two weeks in hospital. The robotic approach has cut this to just four days.

Royal Surrey is also a training hub for national and international fellows, many of whom are currently independent robotic urologists across the UK and the world.

Matthew Perry, Clinical Director or Urology and a Consultant Surgeon, said: “We have for a number of years been using robotic surgery for urological cancers that would have previously been treated with open surgery.

“These robots make it possible for us to carry out complex operations via very tiny incisions with greater accuracy and control than ever before.

“As a result patients are days ahead in recovery compared to people who have open surgery because they do not have the trauma of a large incision in their abdomen and their organs moved about.

“Reaching this fantastic milestone is a testament to the team here who have used this ground breaking technology to deliver world class outcomes to 3,000 patient and their families.”

Bill Jewsbury, Medical Director, said: “I would like to congratulate the Urology team on this milestone achievement and for the impact that these treatments have had on patients and particularly their recovery following surgery. The team have also managed to continue to offer this treatment to our patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, only pausing the service for two weeks in order to ensure that the service could continue to be provided safely.”