Trauma, Test and a New Age Technology: Robotic Surgery giving new lease of Life for a variety of health conditions. Along with the First Successful Robotic Thoracic Surgery in Eastern India, RN Tagore Hospital has performed over 100 Robotic Surgeries till March 2023 in Kolkata. Once in a lifetime, a story of determination and resilience unfolded at RN Tagore hospital (a Unit of Narayana Health) in Kolkata.
Meet SomeshChatterjee (name changed), a 16-year-old schoolboy whose dreams were almost shattered when he fell critically ill just days before his Class Tenth board exams. However, with the help of robotic surgery and an incredible spirit, he defied all odds and managed to not only recover but also sit for his exams which were due in just 4 days. Somesh, an aspiring student preparing for his Class tenth Examinations, experienced severe bouts of fever and developed stage III empyema—a life-threatening condition in which pus develops in the area between the lungs and the inner surface of the chest. Desperate to save their son’s life and future, Somesh’sparents shifted him to the emergency of RN Tagore Hospital, where a team of medical experts, led by Prof (Dr). Amitabha Chakrabarti, Senior Consultant – Robotic, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery evaluated his case. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the medical team recommended RoboticDecortication—a new age minimally invasive surgical procedure. With courage in his heart, Somesh underwent the complex robotics surgery, and astonishingly, on the same day, he was weaned off ventilator support. He recovered well and was also able to sit for his exams from within the hospital premises in just 4 days. Following the successful completion of his exams, Somesh was discharged from the hospital. His speedy recovery is a testament to the power of robotic surgery to transform lives. Another case involved a 70-year-old patient with multiple comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and heart ailment. The patient just had a single functioning left kidney and that too developed a large renal tumor. It is a challenging task to remove the tumour while preserving the kidney functioning. The medical team, led by Dr. Deepak Shankar Ray, SeniorConsultant and Chief of Renal Transplant, RN Tagore Hospital, utilized robotic technology to perform a left-sided partial nephrectomy on the the70-year-old patient, removed the tumour while preserving the patient’s kidney function. This procedure not only demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of robotic surgery but also reaffirmed its status as the preferred approach for complex renal surgeries. Mr. R Venkatesh, Group COO (Chief Operating Officer), Narayana Health said, “In Eastern India, RN Tagore Hospital is a pioneer in robotic cardiothoracic surgery. This hospital has the biggest number of robotics specialists. The institute boasts the biggest number of robotic surgeons in various specialties. Till March this year, we have successfully performed over 100 robotic surgeries across specialties such as General Surgery, Cardiovascular, Urology, Thoracic, Gynaecology, and Gastrointestinal (GI).”