Chelsea and Westminster Hospital delivers its first ever ‘robotic hernia super-Saturday’

Last Saturday, surgeons at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital successfully performed 11 robotic operations on patients with groin hernias, a condition that can affect 1 in 4 men and 1 in 33 women in their lifetime. 

A team of 12 surgical staff, led by surgeons James Smellie and Oliver Warren, performed an impressive 11 robotic hernia operations in the first general surgery ‘Super Saturday’ at the hospital. The aim was to reduce the waiting list and help patients recover more quickly. Eight of the 11 patients went home the same day, with the rest leaving the next morning.

The surgery Super Saturday was made possible by using two high-tech robots in side-by-side theatres and deploying more efficient processes, allowing the team to perform more operations than would normally be done on a standard day. By performing the same procedure in both theatres, the team reduced the variation in setup and equipment, leading to a more efficient process.

Hernias usually occur in the abdomen or groin when an internal part of the body pushes through the surrounding muscle or tissue and sometimes require surgical treatment. Saturday’s patients were selected based on their need for surgery and how well they would respond to this type of robotic procedure, which can be less invasive and often supports quicker recovery than traditional (open) surgery.

Mr. Oliver Warren, Clinical Director of Surgery and Consultant Colorectal and Hernia Surgeon, said: “Hernias are extremely common, they can be uncomfortable, and can lead to further complications. Surgical treatment to remove hernias is one of the most common procedures in England, so being able to perform so many in one day is a huge achievement.

“I’m delighted that using robotic surgery has supported us in treating more people while improving operating times and speeding up the theatre process.”

Mr. James Smellie, Clinical Director of Surgery and Consultant General & Endocrine Surgeon, said: “Saturday is an example of the incredible results that can be achieved for our patients through a combination of embracing technological advances and the hard work of our team.

“Using new surgical techniques like the DaVinci robots not only enables surgeons and care teams to deliver improved patient outcomes but also helps us to improve theatre productivity and efficiency so that more patients can be treated.”

Thanks to the dedication of our staff working on Saturday, we were able to help a large number of people with hernias get the treatment they need. Performing so many surgeries in a single day will also help reduce the backlog of surgeries following the COVID-19 pandemic. The team is excited to run further lists in the future.