REDBRIDGE: Hospital leads way in robotic arm surgery (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

REDBRIDGE: Hospital leads way in robotic arm surgery

3:44pm Wednesday 11th August 2010 in

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A SURGEON has become the first medic to be trained to use a pioneering robotic arm in keyhole surgery.

Consultant urological surgeon Anand Kelkar is the first at Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS University Hospitals Trust (BHRT) to use the arm, which is operated by a remote device worn on the surgeon's head.

The surgeon works at King George Hospital in Ilford, as well as Queen's in Romford, which are the first hospitals to offer the technique during operations on the the prostate and kidney.

Mr Kelkar said: “These operations can be quite complex, lasting up to five hours. Previously I had to have an assistant holding the camera for me for all that time, and I had to tell them where and when I wanted it moved.

“Obviously they would tire, and often they were in my line of vision. The robotic arm eliminates the need for an assistant altogether.

“I am in total control of the operation, so it runs more quickly and smoothly. This means a much better outcome for the patient.”