FIRST ROBOT OPERATION FAST-TRACKS RECOVERY
▶ Smaller and more precise incisions reduce pain and mean patient was fit to leave the same day
Robotic surgery was used for the first time in the UAE to perform a hysterectomy on an Emirati woman suffering from severe fibroids and endometriosis.
This alternative form of surgery to remove the uterus is less painful and generally has a swifter recovery time as a result of the much smaller incisions made by precise robotic instruments.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi recently performed the operation, believed to be the first of its kind in the country.
Robotic surgery allows surgeons to perform complex procedures with much greater precision than is possible with traditional methods.
The surgeon makes small incisions for the insertion of the surgical tools, and controls them from a console that provides a live, 3D view of the surgical site.
The patient was first seen by Dr Jean Uy-Kroh at Healthpoint and referred to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for minimally invasive surgery, given the complexity of her case.
“Fibroids and endometriosis are common in the UAE,” said Dr Uy-Kroh, a staff physician in the hospital’s surgical subspecialties institute. “I see a lot of women suffering from them in my practice.
“Being able to offer women with the most severe cases robotic surgery means they have less pain, their overall recovery time is significantly reduced and they can get back to living their lives sooner.”
Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects about 10 per cent of women but treatment costs are, on average, three times that for breast cancer. As well as severe pain, complications can include delayed pregnancy and infertility.
The condition occurs when bits of the tissue that lines the uterus grow on other pelvic organs, such as the ovaries or fallopian tubes.
The tissue thickens and bleeds outside the uterus, just as the endometrium does during the menstrual cycle.
The technique provides the surgeon with extremely precise control and greater flexibility but also significantly lessens the patient’s pain.
Robotic surgeries are becoming more common in health care, as more hospitals invest in the latest technology.
A survey last year of 11,000 people from 12 countries showed people were increasingly willing to engage with robots and artificial intelligence – if it meant better access to reliable health care.
Of those surveyed in the UAE, half said they were happy for a robot rather than a doctor to perform a minor surgical procedure. That proportion climbed to 73 per cent when all respondents were taken into consideration.
The figure remained relatively high when it came to major surgery, such as knee or hip replacement, removal of a tumor or heart surgery, with 44 per cent of UAE respondents willing to be operated on by a robot.
Hysterectomy patients usually take about six to eight weeks to recover but that is reduced to just four with robotic surgery, and patients can be discharged from the hospital the same day.
“After the procedure, the patient was up walking, eating, and doing her normal activities on the day of the surgery and was medically ready for discharge less than 12 hours later,” Dr Uy-Kroh said.
“This procedure was the first of its kind in the UAE, and I’m excited that we’re able to bring these kinds of advanced surgeries to the region.”
Hysterectomy patients take about eight weeks to recover but with robots they can be discharged the same day