More than 1,000 Robotic Assisted Surgical procedures have been carried out at Bedfordshire Hospitals in two years, making it one of the most successful programmes in England.
In March 2023 a da Vinci Xi robot was installed on each of the Trust’s two sites at Bedford Hospital and at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital (L&D). Unlike in many other hospitals in the UK, they are used across a range of different specialties, treating patients with conditions ranging from bowel and renal cancer to endometriosis, uro-gynaecology, bariatric, general surgery and biliary surgery, and complex head and neck conditions.
Robotic assisted surgery brings many advantages for patients. Operations are safe, accurate and less invasive and bring more precision, flexibility and control than is possible compared with traditional procedures. It allows for small, pinpoint incisions leading to less pain, a shorter stay in hospital and a quicker recovery time.
At Bedford Hospital, the 500th procedure was carried out last weekend by Mr Kanapathi Rajaratnam, Consultant in General and Colorectal Surgery, who said: “Reaching the 500th case at Bedford, and over a thousand in total across both our hospitals, is a milestone and a considerable achievement in such a short space of time. It has been a really exciting two years. Introducing this new technology has brought so many benefits for our patients, and the commitment to innovation – and the training, education and research it brings – will help us retain and attract high calibre staff and trainees, establishing a place in the nation’s healthcare map.”
He continued: We are incredibly grateful to Bedford Hospital Charity and Friends for their energy, enthusiasm and support with spearheading the project at Bedford, having contributed £900,000 to the cost of the Bedford robot which is phenomenal. Our huge thanks also go to Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity which raised money for the console element of the robot at the L&D.”
A total of 15 surgeons across both our hospitals are now trained to use the da Vinci robot. All surgeons and their teams go through a comprehensive training course before carrying out robotic assisted surgery with patients. The robot technology and training has been supplied by Intuitive Surgical.
The Robotic Assisted Surgical team at Bedford
The Robotic Assisted Surgical team at the L&D
