Doctors use robot in pioneering artery operation
'Knowing I had an aneurysm was like walking around with a time bomb. Now I can rest easy'
Doctors have carried out the first operation using a robot to repair a condition that kills 7,000 people a year in the UK.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm involves the weakening and swelling of an artery and is fatal in most cases if the artery bursts.
A team at St Mary's Hospital, central London, has carried out the first repair of an aneurysm using a 400,000lb Sensei robot.
The technique reduces operating time, adds extra precision and allows more complex cases to be attempted. If extended nationwide, the robotic repair would mean an extra 10,000 to 20,000 patients having aneurysms treated.
On Tuesday, James Arnold from Wembley, north-west London, became the first patient to have his aneurysm repaired with the Sensei robot. He was out of bed within two days and will be discharged from hospital over the next few days.
Mr Arnold said: "I feel great. Knowing I had an aneurysm was like walking around with a time bomb inside you. Every time I had a touch of belly ache, I thought it was going to blow. Now I can rest easy."
Mr Arnold's aneurysm was found by chance 10 years ago during a routine follow-up scan after a prostate operation. The stretched section of the blood vessel has been monitored regularly and when it reached 5.5cm in length, it was deemed sufficiently dangerous for surgery.
Mr Arnold said that, despite the worry, he was glad to have waited for surgery: Ten years ago, his chest and abdomen would have needed to be opened, posing an increased risk of death.
Keyhole surgery means the repair is done by passing a tube along the blood vessel from the groin into the swollen artery and inserting a metal scaffold, a stent, to reinforce it.
Often, several stents are needed and it can be impossible to match the ends of each so that they form a continuous artificial blood vessel.
Earlier this year, ministers announced screening for all men aged 65 to detect aneurysms. The condition is seen far less in women.
There are three Sensei robots in England -- two at St Mary's to correct heartbeat, and one at Bart's, also in central London. ( © Daily Telegraph, London)
- Rebecca Smith in London
