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Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has completed its 1,000th prostatectomy using a cutting-edge robotic-assisted system at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.
The Trust’s robotic surgery journey began in May 2017, when it became the first hospital in the North of England—and only the third in the UK—to receive a da Vinci Xi surgical system.
This was thanks to the help from Rosemere Cancer Foundation who contributed £1.25 million to fund the equipment.
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By 2020, the team had already surpassed 1,000 robotic-assisted cases across its Royal Preston and Chorley Hospital sites. In 2020, a second da Vinci Xi robotic system was installed in the Chorley Elective Surgical Hub.
The system enables advanced minimally invasive surgery using instruments and a camera attached to four arms, which are inserted into the patient through tiny incisions.
Consultant Michal Smolski, who performed the milestone procedure, said: “Compared to an open prostatectomy and keyhole laparoscopy prostatectomy, robotic surgery has significant advantages for the patient and the surgeon and translates to better outcomes. Because it is minimally invasive surgery, this means less pain, less blood loss, quicker recovery, and you can usually discharge patients within 24 hours.
“In the longer term, patients have a better rate of urinary continence and often erectile functions as well comparing to previous, traditional techniques.”
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James Goggin of Preston was the 1,000th patient to undergo a robotic-assisted prostatectomy at the Trust.
He said: “I feel fine, the surgeon Mr Smolski explained the procedure and what is a relatively new innovation. I was pleased to be on board with that, particularly compared to the recovery time with the old way it used to be done.
“It’s been fabulous at Chorley because it seems so relaxed, so quiet. I’ve been impressed with the whole team from start to finish, they’ve all been a credit to the NHS.”
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