A high-tech surgical robot that has helped 100 Sunshine Coast Health patients get back on their feet faster is now being used in more types of procedures at a major Coast hospital.
The Da Vinci robot joined the surgical team at Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) a year ago and has mostly been used for urological surgeries, with patients reporting reduced pain and quick recoveries.
The surgical team is now expanding the robotics program to include general surgery and gynaecology.
Patient Kerri Hewitt expected weeks of pain and a long recovery when she learned she needed surgery.
“I get nervous about getting put under, what it’s going to look like at the other end with recovery,” she said.
But offered a newer, robotic-assisted option at SCUH, her experience was markedly different.
“It was explained to me it will be less risk and less operating time, so there would be less likelihood of bleeding and complications of being put under for less time, and the healing process will be much quicker as well – and that’s exactly what I found,” she said.
Instead of the four to six weeks she had planned for, Ms Hewitt was back on her feet in just two.
“I’m just amazed, like I really expected more pain, more recovery, more time off, and I didn’t expect to have such a turnaround, that my body’s working really well,” she said.
General surgeon Dr Josefin Petersson said the technology allowed for greater precision and improved patient outcomes.
“It optimises your precision in your surgery,” Dr Petersson said.
“I get a 3D view that is really up close and I’m able to move and do really precision surgery in places I wouldn’t be able to do previously, that have been too hard to get to from a keyhole, laparoscopic point of view,” she said.
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She added the robot was particularly useful in complex procedures.
“It’s a great tool to use when you’re performing difficult surgery in narrow smaller spaces, where there’s not much room – it enhances your view, and you can do amazing things.”
Clinical nurse consultant Phil Hall said the benefits for patients were significant, particularly in reducing hospital stays and speeding up recovery.
“For patients undergoing urology surgery, robotics has cut down their hospital stay from five nights to one night, while also helping them return to normal activities up to two months faster,” he said.
For hysterectomy patients, hospital stays can drop from 10 days to just one night, with less scarring.
“This is going to significantly change our patient’s surgical experience here at SCUH,” Mr Hall said.
For Ms Hewitt, the results have already made a difference — not just in her recovery, but in the time she was able to spend with her family post operation.
“The whole team has been really helpful, thank you to everyone involved, especially the surgeon Dr Josefin Petersson.”
