More
than 350 robotic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic (HPB) surgery specialists from 26
countries gathered at University Hospital for a major conference hosted by
UHCW.
Experts
from 10 nations presented at the 3rd UK Robotic HPB Conference to share their
insights, aiming to improve outcomes for patients with liver, biliary and
pancreatic diseases.
Conference
organiser and chair Mr Jawad Ahmad, Consultant HPB Surgeon, said the event’s
international reach reflected UHCW’s growing reputation as one of the world’s
leading robotic surgical centres.
“Since
starting robotic surgery in 2013, we have evolved into a multidisciplinary
centre of excellence,” said Mr Ahmad. “More than 4,000 cancer patients have
undergone successful robotic procedures here and we now have the highest number
of senior robotic trainers (proctors) at a single site in the UK, having
trained hundreds of surgeons from across the UK and Europe.”
Over
the past 11 years, UHCW surgeons have performed robotic procedures across a
wide range of specialties, including HPB, prostate, kidney, bladder,
colorectal, gynaecology, head and neck, upper GI, and thoracic surgery.
The
Trust also announced the arrival of its third da Vinci Xi robotic system during
the conference. Fully funded through donations raised by UHCW Charity, the new
robot will increase annual robotic procedures by over 440, bringing the total
to around 1,300 a year.
Purchased
through a generous legacy donation, the system includes an additional training
console, which enables trainees to operate alongside senior surgeons in a
dual-control setup. This will further enhance the quality and safety of robotic
training both at UHCW and nationally.