A surgical team at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust has carried out six hysterectomies in one day thanks to a state-of-the-art surgical robot.
Daily Focus reported last year on the team’s achievement of completing five in one day, but the latest day’s record caseload is believed to be a European and even world first.
The team of 12 – led by Consultant Gynaecologist Zeiad El-Gizawy – carried out the procedures using the Da Vinci Xi, which speeds up the time required to carry out an operation, reduces post-operative complications and reduces recovery time.
Mr El-Gizawy, pictured above, said: “Using the Da Vinci Xi robot provides more precision, which means patients recover more quickly, are discharged quicker and beds are freed up.
“The hinged, wrist-like robotic instruments on the robot means surgeons can reach awkward parts of the anatomy better than using handheld laparoscopic instruments used in traditional keyhole surgery.
“Using the robot’s console, I’m able to do six cases sitting down with my shoulders back and relaxed. It’s very difficult to do six cases laparoscopically when I have to contort my body into all sorts of positions and end up with chronic shoulder and back pain which is a big problem amongst surgeons.
“Without robots I could probably do three or four – anymore and the surgery would suffer because I would be completely exhausted by the end of it.”
He added: “I could be the fastest surgeon in the world but if I didn’t have an experienced team, I would end up only doing three operations a day. I’m very lucky to be working with such brilliant people, it’s a privilege.
“From a concentration point of view, I think six is our limit. If there’s any complexity, we’ll go down to five as you need a buffer if anything goes wrong.”
UHNM is one of the leading centres in the UK with expertise in offering robotic surgical procedures. Since the inception of the robotic programme in 2014, almost 2,500 major robotic surgical procedures have been undertaken by surgeons in Urology, Colorectal, and Gynaecology.
UHNM figures show 74 per cent of patients operated on using the Da Vinci Xi robot are sent home within 24 hours compared to 62 per cent manually. Just 2.6 per cent experienced complications compared to 7.9 per cent manually.
The six cases carried out on the Da Vinci Xi included endometriosis and adenomyosis.
One of the patients, 42-year-old Emily Woodhams-Beazeley, from the Staffordshire Moorlands, was diagnosed with adenomyosis in May 2023 after 25 years of pain and problems.
She said: “When I met Mr El-Gizawy he looked at my scan for five seconds and turned around and said how I must feel terrible. To be validated was incredible and very emotional.
“For me it’s as though a big reset button has been pressed and I can now get on with my life free from pain.”
Fellow patient, Hayley Flanagan, aged 32, from Stafford, said: “I had one night in hospital and since then there’s been good progress.
“There’s a little bit of pain but it’s just a mild stomachache that comes and goes and my husband has been taking excellent care of me.”
Medical Director Dr Matthew Lewis said: “It’s amazing that the Da Vinci robot has enabled our surgeons to achieve six hysterectomies in one day.
“This is good news for our patients as our waiting times are now less, we have quicker procedures, fewer complications, and a shorter length of stay.”
