Patients across the UK can look forward to an increase in the availability of “keyhole” or minimally invasive surgery thanks to the opening of a new training centre at Colchester General Hospital called the ICENI Centre. The Clinical Services Journal was present at the official launch in November 2005, and witnessed a live gall bladder removal operation which demonstrated the abilities not only of the dedicated team of surgeons at Colchester, but also confirmed the department’s position as a leader in the teaching, training and research of laparoscopic surgery.
The aim of the ICENI Centre is to significantly increase the number of surgeons performing laparoscopic surgery in the UK. As Professor Roger Motson, consultant surgeon at Colchester General Hospital and head of the centre explained: “Encouraging the use of more keyhole surgery is important because, compared to conventional open surgery, patients usually recover faster, have smaller scars and experience far less pain, and that means reduced waiting lists for patients and lower treatment costs for hospitals.”
To improve its facilities for training and so better meet demand, the ICENI centre has installed two new state-of-the-art computerised OR1 laparoscopic operating theatres from Karl Stortz, with a third planned. Laparoscopy business manager at Karl Storz, Graham Mitchell, spoke to CSJ about the company’s commitment to achieving solutions based on clinical need, “We worked in close collaboration with surgeons at Colchester to develop specialist instruments to enable them to carry out their innovative surgical techniques,” he stated.
