Robotic-assisted bariatric surgeries at AAH

Robotic-assisted bariatric surgeries have been introduced at Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital (AAH) of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), pointed out Dr Moataz Basha, Head of the Bariatric Surgery Department at HMC. He told local Arabic daily 'Arrayah' that this step would certainly expand the facilities of HMC to make such surgeries and as a result more patients could be covered.He noted that the robotic-assisted surgeries have more advantages over other types of surgeries as potential complications considerably drop compared to regular surgeries and the outcomes are more accurate. He said that more than 250 robotic-assisted surgeries have been carried out at HMC since this technique was first adopted there. He added that the patient who undergoes this type of surgery is often discharged from the hospital on the second day of the surgery, which indicates the considerable low potential of subsequent complications of the surgery and speeding up the recovery process, especially when the patients suffers from diabetes or hypertension.He further pointed out that currently 20% of the bariatric surgeries are done using the robots and there is a long range plan to expand in this and the plan has already started at AAH. However, he warned against performing these bariatric surgeries outside Qatar in untrusted places. He stressed that the patient should be careful to go only for the highly trusted places with reputable skilled surgeons to avoid serious complications.He explained that the complications could include leaks, bleeding, vitamins deficiency and muscle weakness, and in some case weak vision. Meanwhile, he stressed that HMC has the best equipment in the field and adopts the highest standards making it pioneer in this regard.He said that since the bariatric surgery department was first established at HMC in 2011, more than 10,000 operations have been done, and HMC has been keen to keep up to date with the latest development in this field globally. Eventually, this has reduced the complications of the bariatric surgery in Qatar to no more than 1 in 1,000, while the international rate is 1%.