Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleA surgical robot at Belfast City Hospital is being used to treat women with complex gynaecological conditions, and it is the first of its kind on the island of Ireland, according to BBC Health. The report says it could sharply cut long waits for surgery in Northern Ireland.
The da Vinci robot is operated by human surgeons. Its wrists can twist and turn in tight pelvic spaces, and it is said to be more precise than a human hand because it is steadier. It is one of only a few such machines across the UK.
A long wait for care
BBC Health reports that the average wait for complex gynaecological surgery in Northern Ireland is about seven years. That surgery involves several specialities. The delays affect thousands of women’s physical and mental health and their ability to have children, and some women end up needing a hysterectomy.
Colleen Crothers, 41, is one of them. She first had chronic period pain at 14, but it was another 22 years before she was referred to gynaecology. A scan then confirmed she had both adenomyosis and endometriosis.
She had a hysterectomy in June, along with a full bowel shave to remove endometriosis tissue that attached her womb to her bowel. She is now in early menopause and cannot have children. Her surgery was conventional, as she missed out on a da Vinci operation by just weeks.
“Robotic surgery came too late for me,” she said. “I hope other women won’t have to wait as long.”
Four months on, she is back at work, walking her dog and more or less pain free.
130 operations so far
The robot joined the hospital’s gynaecology team in May. It cost £2.4m, funded through charitable donations for gynaecological services within the health trust.
It has so far carried out 130 surgeries, 105 of them on women with complex endometriosis. Four consultants have been trained to use it. Complex gynaecology cases are now treated as a priority and are not bumped when other surgical cases, including cancer cases, come in.
Dr Hans Nagar, a consultant gynaecological surgeon and oncologist, said women with complex endometriosis had previously been ill-served in Northern Ireland. The robot lets different specialists work together on these cases. He expects it to take time to bed in, but believes it will make a big difference and that other robots will go elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
He added that the technology could encourage young staff to stay, or to return after time in Canada, Australia, the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Theatre nurse Lauren Best said the robot means less scarring and quicker recovery for patients.
New funding for endometriosis services
On Monday, Northern Ireland’s health minister is expected to announce £1.95m to improve endometriosis services. Of that, £700,000 will go to two regional endometriosis centres, at Belfast City and Altnagelvin Area hospitals. They will develop specialist services for women with complex endometriosis.
Each health trust will also receive £250,000 as part of a phased investment for women with less complex symptoms.
Health Minister Robbie Butler said the investment marked an “important milestone in efforts to improve women’s health services” in Northern Ireland.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, most commonly around the ovaries, fallopian tubes and pelvis. The tissue behaves like womb lining but is trapped in the wrong place. Ms Crothers described symptoms including heavy bleeding, severe cramping and pelvic pain.
Dr Nagar thanked everyone whose donations paid for the robot, including families who have lost a loved one.
Source: BBC Health
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