Royal Surrey robotic surgery team sets new record
- Published
Surgeon Matthew Perry said it involved an incredible amount of planning and a "fantastic" team
A surgical team has carried out a record-breaking number of robotically-assisted prostate removals in a single day, a hospital trust has said.
The Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust said 12 men with prostrate cancer had radical prostatectomies on Saturday.
It said the feat was possible after it developed a "safe but efficient" way to maximise the number of such procedures it can perform.
Consultant surgeon Wissam Abou Chedid said no procedures were rushed.
The trust said in February, the same expert team completed nine procedures in a day, which it said was a UK first and the equivalent of a week's worth of patients.
On Saturday, five surgeons and four theatre teams at the Guildford hospital worked across three operating theatres to carry out the procedures.
In a tweet, Dr Chedid said they had cut the waiting list by 25% in a single day.
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One of the patients who benefitted was David Retter, 68, from Winchester in Hampshire.
He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer after visiting his GP for a test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood.
He said: "When you hear those words that you have cancer it is scary, but the speed that it has been dealt with has just been incredible.
"It is exciting to be part of something out of the ordinary."
Matthew Perry, consultant urological surgeon and clinical director of urology said it involved "an incredible amount" of planning and a "fantastic team".
Dr Chedid added: "In a single day we have significantly reduced our waiting list and 12 men who were anxiously awaiting surgery have received the care they need.
"No cases were rushed and the operations themselves took the same amount of time. We were just able to reduce the turnaround time between each patient."
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