Hi-tech facility to perform keyhole surgery on colon cancer patients

A new facility at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, will allow keyhole procedures to be performed on colon cancer patients — offering results equal to those found in leading clinics internationally, an award-winning surgeon said.

The Stryker iSuite theatre is the first voice-activated integrated operating theatre of its type in this country and enables surgeons confer with colleagues across the world by video link.

Patients at the new unit are treated by surgical teams headed by David Waldron, Eoghan Condon, Prof Calvin Coffey and Subhasis Giri.

Prof Coffey, who trained at UCC, Spain, and the US said the colorectal surgery at the new operating theatre would allow the removal of colon cancers, using very small keyhole incisions.

He said: “It results in significant less trauma for the patients and consequently patients with other major conditions who, in the past, may have been turned down for surgery can now receive treatment.

“This treatment also has the advantage of allowing patients to recover more quickly,” he said.

A native of Blackrock in Cork, Prof Coffey trained as a colorectal cancer surgeon in the US.

“This is the first hospital with this state of the art equipment to be used on colorectal surgery. It provides high definition view and a magnification of 25 fold what the human eye is capable of,” he said.

Opening the theatre, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said an amazing feature of the JP McManus-supported facility was the equipment was supplied by Stryker with plants locally in Limerick and Cork.

Ann Doherty, chief executive of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital group, said: “This is an exciting time for acute hospital services in the region. Without the work of the hospital development trust, acute hospital services would be lagging far behind international standards, but now we are moving into a new era where our hospitals will stand comparison with the best.”