Stoke-on-Trent grandmother's new lease of life after robotic surgery

From left to right: Carol Burt, surgeon Mr Anurag Golash and patient Rennett Burt

An 84-year-old grandmother has "a new lease of life" after undergoing robotic surgery, her family said.

Rennett Burt had a large tumour removed from an area near her heart at Royal Stoke University Hospital with surgeons using a robotic device.

The system enables surgeons to perform even more precise surgery.

Ms Burt's doctors were reluctant at first to operate on her due to her age but her family said they were amazed at the speed of her recovery.

"My doctor was emotional when he saw me after the operation and how well I was doing" Ms Burt, from Stoke-on-Trent, said. "I was crying, I felt overwhelmed."

Mr Anurag Golash, the consultant urological surgeon who performed the surgery in April, said the robot, called Da Vinci Xi, helped reduce complications.

"The tumour was sitting on one of the biggest blood vessels in the body," he said.

"The cuts had to be very precise and the vision had to be perfect as even a 1-mm deviation could lead to catastrophic bleeding."

'Smiling every day'

The robot system was funded by the Denise Coates Foundation as part of their support for the development of the trust's cancer services and was delivered via an £8.4m grant.

Ms Burt's daughter, Carol Burt, said the whole family was "absolutely amazed by the speed of mother's recovery and the level of her wellness".

"Mother has been given a new lease of life. She has a smile on her face every day.

"She is a better person now than she was before she went in."