‘Robbie the robot' appeal

The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading is appealing for money for a robot. Robbie’, the da Vinci robot.

The robot provides robotic assisted surgery; it allows surgeons to perform radical prostate operations using all the clinical and technical capabilities of traditional open surgery, whilst enabling them to operate through the tiny incisions which characterise ‘keyhole’ surgery.

The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust acquired the da Vinci robot thanks to a very generous donation. To keep the da Vinci robot operating in Reading, they need to raise a further £1 million over the next three years.

The campaign is supported by the Reading Post (Getreading)

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For patients robot surgery brings a number of benefits which contribute to a quicker return to normal life. These include:
significantly less pain
less blood loss
less risk of wound infection
reduced scarring
faster recovery times.

The da Vinci robot uses four interactive robotic arms to carry out the surgery. At all times the surgeon is in complete control: his or her hand movements are scaled, filtered and seamlessly translated into precise real-time movements. The 3D view and magnification allow intricate dissection and complex reconstruction that would be difficult with conventional keyhole surgery.

Surgeon, Lt. Col. Zaheer Shah said “The robot offers a less painful procedure with a quicker recovery time and fewer side effects and has so far proven to be equally effective as open surgery for dealing with cancer, as well as being less likely to cause impotence or incontinence.”

Talking about the benefits to patients Peter Boltwood said: “I have been amazed at the speed of my recovery: within an hour I was sharing my experience with BBC South Today, two days later I was back at home. Life is now back to normal. I am working and playing golf and the scars have all but disappeared. I would have no hesitation in recommending this surgery to other men faced with the same decision.”

Links:
BBC Berkshire.