First woman to undergo robotic surgery in Bath was back on the golf course just one week later
The first woman to be operated on by a robot at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath says she was back on the golf course only a week later.
Suzanne underwent surgery on 13 June 2023 and it was the first time the RUH had used the Da Vinci surgical robot on a patient.
She said: “I was delighted to be told I was going to be the first patient ever to have received robotic surgery at the RUH.
"It meant I could have my operation a lot quicker than what was being offered via the traditional route of open surgery.
"My mother died of bowel cancer, so I was feeling very anxious before meeting with Marc [her surgeon] who reassured me completely.
"He went through all the benefits of robotic surgery vs open surgery and explained to me how he would use the robot in my operation.
"I felt very comfortable with what was going to happen. I definitely felt less trauma than I would have done had this procedure been carried out the more traditional way.
"Obviously, I was a bit restricted in terms of movement but there wasn’t really any pain. My recovery has been excellent, I had my operation on the Tuesday morning, and I was back home by Friday evening, just three days later.
"I couldn’t believe it.”
The robotics program for Colorectal and General surgery was launched by the RUH in June and has now successfully completed 10 operations.
However, it has been used hundreds of times across the hospital in different wards.
Surgeon Marc Bullock who carried out Suzanne's operation said: "My patients will really benefit from the precision and dexterity of robotic surgery with the DaVinci Xi.
"We anticipate this will translate into quicker recovery times and shorter hospital stays for patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.”
Since Suzanne’s operation, other surgical specialities followed suit, launching their own programs in Urology and Gynaecologic Oncology robotic surgery.
In a statement, a spokesperson from the hospital said: "The Da Vinci robot's arrival ushered in a new age at the hospital, supporting more than 400 complex surgical operations across the RUH, saving time, resources and lives in an instant."