Fortis Mohali Uses Robotic Surgery to Treat Complex Hernias in Elderly Patients

Chandigarh, August 19: Fortis Hospital Mohali has successfully treated several elderly patients with complex hernias using the advanced Da Vinci Xi, 4th Generation robotic surgical system, the hospital said on Tuesday. Doctors warned that delays in treatment could have resulted in serious or even life-threatening complications.

In one case, an 80-year-old man suffering from recurrent inguinal hernia with persistent infection and abdominal pain underwent robot-assisted hernia repair performed by Dr Iqbal Singh, Senior Consultant, Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery. The patient, who had been denied surgery at multiple hospitals due to his age, was discharged the next day and has since recovered fully.

In another instance, an 88-year-old woman with a large incisional hernia and gall stone disease underwent robot-assisted hernia repair and cholecystectomy. She was discharged three days after surgery.

Dr Singh said the hospital has also performed robot-aided TEP (Totally Extraperitoneal) repair, a technique that avoids entering the abdominal cavity and reduces the risk of intra-abdominal complications. “Robot-aided surgery has transformed the field of minimal invasive surgery. The technology provides a 3D view of the operative field, and robotic arms with 360-degree rotation offer greater dexterity than the human hand,” he explained.

The benefits of robotic procedures, Dr Singh added, include reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery times.

Fortis Healthcare, which operates 33 healthcare facilities across 11 states, said such advanced surgical techniques are available only at select centres, with Fortis Mohali among them.