A ROBOT surgeon might conjure images of the Terminator turning up in theatre but new cutting-edge equipment is making improvements in patients care and recovery times.

As part of a £20 million investment from the Scottish Government, a total of 10 robot systems will be installed in hospitals across the country - with three of these in Glasgow.

Surgeons said the equipment will help cut post-covid waiting times and give patients better outcomes.

Mr Wesley Stuart, consultant vascular surgeon and chairman of the robot assisted surgery programme at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “This is a win-win for patients and the clinical team. "This new technology makes significantly smaller incisions than traditional surgery, reducing the risk of complications and shortening recovery times.

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"With waiting times increasing as a result of the covid impact, this will enable us to treat more patients more quickly, and with better outcomes.”

Gary McShane, 54, was devastated by a diagnosis of bowel cancer in May of this year.

Within weeks, he was at Glasgow Royal Infirmary to undergo surgery led by his consultant operating with the precision robot.

Gary, from Dennistoun, said: “Some of my family thought it might be like Terminator, something out of a sci-fi movie and worried that the machine might go out of control, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“It didn’t faze me at all, because the surgeon is still doing the operation except it is a lot more precise with the machine than having two hands in there – so I was actually quite at ease with it, despite being apprehensive about going in for a big operation.”

Gary’s left arm is partially paralysed, so he may have had difficulty in the event that he needed a stoma bag fitted – a potential outcome after traditional surgery on bowel.

The robotic surgery meant that the precision techniques used avoided the need for a bag, greatly improving the outcome for Gary.

In all, he was in and out of hospital in just 48 hours.

Glasgow Times: Robot assisted surgery

Graham Mackay, consultant colorectal surgeon at GRI carried out Gary’s procedure.

He said: “The most common treatment and cure for bowel cancer is surgery, which can often be complicated with a long recovery time for people.

"Surgery is the most common treatment for bowel cancer, which is Scotland’s third most common cancer, and central to curing the disease.

"However, this is most often open surgery, which can mean a longer recovery time for patients.

“Using the robot is less invasive and can reduce the time spent in hospital recovering by three to five days.

"We’re always looking at how to improve outcome for patients and in Gary’s case, he was out of hospital after just 48 hours and out for a long walk just two days after that.”

The robot is one of three systems being deployed at GRI and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, helping to treat patients with urological, colorectal and gynaecological cancers across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

It is planned that use of robot assisted surgery will be expanded to benefit patients with other types of cancer such as those affecting the mouth and throat.

The outlook for Gary now is very positive.

“I was shocked at how well it worked,” he said, adding that he only experienced "minimal pain".

The tumour was contained and removed and Gary has started some precautionary chemotherapy medication to deal with any rogue cancer cells.

He will take pills for the next six months, with all signs pointing to a strong recovery.

Gary added: “From the consultants to the nurses, I can’t thank the team at the hospital enough, the care was just outstanding.”

And to anyone worried Arnie might be at the operating table, Gary said: “I would advise anyone if they were cautious to go for it, because the results for me were just fantastic.”