Robotic surgery sees patient go home on same day

A prostate cancer patient said he was "delighted" to be back in his own bed the same day as undergoing major robotic surgery.

Eddie Harvey, 67, from Corsham, Wiltshire, was discharged from Bath's Royal United Hospital (RUH) after undergoing a radical prostatectomy. It was only the second time a patient had been able to have this type of surgery and return home on the same day.

The procedure was carried out by a team using the RUH's Da Vinci surgical robot.

"I arrived at hospital at 07:00 on the morning of the operation and was back home later that night," said Mr Harvey. "I was a bit surprised, but delighted."

A radical prostatectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the prostate gland and some surrounding tissue to treat prostate cancer.

It is the primary treatment for this type of cancer when it has not spread beyond the prostate.

The robot helps surgeons to operate on patients with greater precision, and perform complex procedures with minimal access, while ensuring the highest levels of patient safety.

Mr Harvey said he was impressed by how quickly his treatment progressed.

"I was referred to the RUH by my GP after a checkup, and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan at the hospital showed there was suspicion of cancer in my prostate.

"I then had prostate biopsies, which confirmed it.

"Within a couple of weeks, I was having surgery. Everything moved really quickly, I was so impressed."

The RUH first started using its new Da Vinci robot in 2023. At the time, consultant Marc Bullock, said: "The advantages of robotic surgery include quicker recovery times and much less painful surgery for patients."

Since then hundreds of patients have been operated on using the technique.

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