Hospital equals national record for robotic surgeries

The Southmead Hospital team worked to carry out surgeries in side-by-side theatres

The national record for robot-assisted procedures has been matched by a Bristol hospital.

Southmead Hospital broke the record for the NHS in the South West and equalised the national record, by carrying out 24 robotic-assisted surgeries over the weekend of 25 November.

Two teams worked in side-by-side theatres using a pair of Da Vinci Xi robots.

Gynaecology consultant Jessica Preshaw said: "With this cutting-edge equipment, our patients often recover more quickly and have a shorter stay in hospital."

Julie Stollery underwent surgery with a robot at Southmead Hospital

Using surgical robots allows surgeons a shorter operating time, as well as better precision and accuracy during procedures.

On the record weekend, 17 out of the 24 patients were discharged on the same day.

The main surgeries carried out were hysterectomies and endometriosis procedures.

Julie Stollery, a sonographer from Chepstow, underwent a hysterectomy in July.

She was surprised by how she felt after the surgery.

"The wounds were really small and not troublesome at all, I almost felt like I hadn’t had anything done," she said.

"I’m back at work, fighting fit and I feel better than I did before the procedure as I don’t have the symptoms I had previously."

This year, 100 hysterectomies have taken place at Southmead Hospital

The teams completed a high intensity theatre (HIT) programme in order to reduce patient waiting lists.

This led to 50% more patients than usual being treated.

North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead Hospital, is expanding its robot-assisted surgery programme in complex surgeries.

Islam Gamaleldin, a gynaecology consultant who 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."