Broomfield Hospital today will take delivery of a new surgical robot.
This robot from Intuitive Surgical is at the very cutting edge of surgical robot technology, giving crystal clear 3D-HD visualisation and enabling deeper and more complex surgery by providing easier access to previously difficult – or impossible – to reach areas of the body.
There are many benefits for patients of this type of surgery including less blood loss during surgery, fewer complications and less need for pain relief. All in all, patients will recover from surgery more quickly including leaving hospital sooner. Broomfield Hospital has used robotics in surgery for several years, and this new ‘da Vinci Xi’ robot, of which there are fewer than 10 in the entire country, means that Broomfield Hospital will stay at the forefront of surgical robotics.
In terms of specific procedures, Broomfield Hospital will be the only hospital in the south of England able to do ‘gastric pacing’, a type of oesophageal reflux repair. The robot will also allow surgeons to suture difficult to reach areas and join blood vessels together laparoscopically (key hole surgery), again giving patients better outcomes and shorter recovery times.
Surgeons will use this state-of-the-art technology to continue developing groundbreaking procedures and methods which have never been done before, and as a centre of excellence, people from across Chelmsford, Essex and the wider region will benefit from these exciting developments.
Vicky Ford, MP for Chelmsford said: “It is hugely exciting that Broomfield is to have one of these state-of-the-art surgical robots. I understand that there are only a handful of these in the country. I was extremely impressed when I saw one of these on display in the hospital earlier this year. I heard from surgeons and surgical staff how using the precision robot means operations are considerably less invasive and means patients have much more rapid recovery. Using the robot also means that surgeons can perform some operations that are literally impossible by traditional surgery methods. For many patients this is life changing.”
