COLCHESTER Hospital has become the first health facility in Europe to start offering fully robotic surgery for colorectal procedures. 

The medical complex, in Turner Road, is set to be the first site to use fully robotic apparatus in the UK, Ireland and the EU, in what is a major technological milestone. 

Partially robotic surgery has been offered to some patients having colorectal, gynaecological, urological procedures or knee replacements over the last three years. 

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However, Colchester Hospital is now in a position to offer fully robotic operations by a surgeon-controlled Da Vinci Xi robot. 

Subash Vasudevan is a general and colorectal surgeon at the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, and chair of the robotic steering group.

He said: “This is a huge achievement for our robotics programme and a ground-breaking step for our patients who are able to benefit from the investment we’ve made into four Da Vinci robots we now have at the trust.

“To achieve this milestone in three years whilst we were working through a global pandemic is a true testament to the vision of our executive team and the hard work and dedication of the hundreds of staff who have made this happen. 

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“The unique close working relationship we have between clinical teams, a dedicated innovation team and an executive team willing to put in huge investment has made this possible.” 

The robots used contain two parts, the patient part, which looks like an octopus with several arms to which the robotic instruments are attached, and a separate console where the surgeon controls the robot’s arms to operate. 

All six colorectal surgeons at Colchester Hospital have now completed their training enabled them to safely operate the cutting-edge technology. 

“We have seen first-hand the benefits that robotic surgery brings to our patients including shorter hospital stay, less traditional open procedure surgery as the robot surgery uses keyhole-like cuts meaning it’s less invasive, and therefore better outcomes," said Mr Vasudevan.

“There are benefits for surgeons too.

"It is less physically demanding during long operations as we’re able to sit at the console rather than stand for hours in very uncomfortable positions needed for conventional surgery.

"This is especially relevant for extending a surgeon’s working lifespan.” 

The cost of the robot project to the trust has so far been £10 million.

Adrian Marr, ESNEFT’s director of finance, said: “We are now seeing the benefits of this investment, with reduced length of stay and fewer re-admissions for patients, and a speedier rehabilitation programme."