Spire Southampton Hospital expands its cancer treatment services with a new £1.8m Da Vinci Xi Robot
10 June 2024
Spire Southampton Hospital has unveiled a new, £1.8m state-of-the-art Da Vinci Xi Robot.
It is a replacement of the SI generation robot and expands its current prostate cancer robotic programme to include treatment of Upper GI, Colorectal and other Urology cancers.
Spire Southampton Hospital’s robotic programme has been in place since 2016 offering robotic prostatectomies. Since its inception almost 2,000 patients have been operated on, benefiting from the precision that robotic surgery offers.
In addition to prostate surgery, it will also offer an expansion of urological cancer procedures at the hospital, including partial nephrectomy (removal of kidney cancers) and cystectomy (surgical removal of the bladder).
During surgery miniature instruments are introduced into the body through small incisions and controlled by surgeons to perform specific tasks. The benefit to patients when surgeons use robotic-assisted surgery compared to traditional surgery may include significantly reduced pain after surgery, shorter length of stay and faster recovery times.
Mr Russell Wood came to Spire Southampton back in January 2024 after a routine prostate examination with his local GP discovered a suspicious lump and scans showed cancer in the prostate and a pelvic lymph node and well as a separate worryingly enlarged appendix.
Consultant Urologist Mr Tim Dudderidge and Consultant General Surgeon Mr John Knight used the Da Vinci Xi Robot to perform a prostate removal, lymph node removal, and appendix removal all in one operation.
Mr Wood commented: “After my initial diagnosis, I decided to come and see Mr Dudderidge for a private consultation at Spire Southampton. I had an initial consultation and then made the decision to go private with my surgery, due to the ease of access to both surgeons and the speed in which they could carry out the surgery.”
“My surgery was successful, and after seven weeks, I was back at work and in the gym able to carry out the same activities as prior to my surgery.”
The new state-of-the-art robot represents a significant investment to Spire Southampton Hospital and its consultants. Which will enable the hospital to support its company purpose of, making a positive difference to people’s lives through outstanding personalised care.
This investment will support local cancer pathways, expanding the service to both NHS and private patients in addition to giving patient choice as to the approach that is undertaken.
Mr Dudderidge, who performed the surgery on Mr Wood has said: “It is fantastic that Spire Southampton Hospital has invested in the best and latest robotic technology. We will be able to continue to provide our prostate cancer patients the best possible outcomes from surgery. In addition, we will be able to expand both our cancer and benign treatments at Spire Southampton, offering patients gold standard care.”
Kevin Griffiths, Hospital Director at Spire Southampton Hospital said: “At Spire Southampton Hospital, we are committed to ensuring our patients have fast access to state-of-the-art equipment and outstanding personalised treatment when they need it. This investment builds on our already successful prostate cancer service and allows us to expand into other cancers delivering the level of care our patients have come to expect.
“We know that a cancer diagnosis can be a worrying time for people. But, knowing they can be seen quickly, using the latest technology available is what people need and we’re pleased to be delivering that.”