A major campaign has been launched to raise £2.5million for Scotland's first robotic surgical equipment, which will be used to treat patients at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The 'Transform Today's Surgery with Tomorrow's Technology' campaign is a partnership project led by UCAN and currently involves the urological, general surgery and gynaecological teams at ARI.

The robotic equipment will be particularly beneficial for patients with prostate, colorectal (bowel and rectal) and gynaecological cancers and non-malignant conditions, but has the potential to be used in other specialties such as cardiac and paediatric surgery.

Considered to be the future for surgical procedures, the robot is a powerful and highly advanced tool that enables precision surgery to be carried out in many more patients, speeding up operating times.

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), or keyhole surgery, has a number of advantages for patients over traditional 'open' surgery, including faster recovery, less pain after the operation, less blood loss and a better cosmetic result due to much smaller incisions.

The robotic equipment mimics a human hand and is controlled remotely by the surgeon, who sits a few feet away and watches greatly magnified 3D high definition video images of the operation on a screen.

This allows very delicate and complex procedures to be carried out with relative ease while still allowing minimally invasive techniques to be used.

The £2.5million fundraising target includes the cost of a theatre suite at ARI with two integrated operating theatres that will have the capacity for robotic-assisted surgery.

The conditions in the specifically designed theatres – such as the temperature, lighting and patient positioning – can be controlled by the surgeon.

Mr Sam McClinton, Consultant Urological Surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and chairman of UCAN, said: "Robotic-assisted surgery is the best technology currently available for minimally invasive surgery and we want to raise £2.5million by 2013 to buy this advanced equipment and the updated theatres to properly house it.

"This is the first equipment of its kind in Scotland and will help to ensure ARI can continue to provide the very best possible service for the people of the North-east, Orkney and Shetland.

"Integrated theatres allow safer treatment of patients undergoing keyhole surgery, with improved patient outcomes such as reduced hospital stay, quicker return to work and reduced complication rates.

"The introduction of a robot in the operating theatre reduces the training time for surgeons as well as being less physically demanding on the surgeon during the operation – which is particularly important when procedures take several hours. It will also increase productivity by reducing staff preparation time, theatre turnaround time and operating times."

He added: "This is a major fundraising drive and we are calling on anyone who can support us to use this opportunity to invest in the very latest technology, which will directly benefit patients here in the North-east and set the benchmark for Scotland."

Miss Justine Royle, Consultant Urological Surgeon at ARI, added: "Life changing complications such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction are serious quality of life issues that can result from pelvic surgery for diseases such as bladder, colon, prostate and uterine cancers. The use of keyhole and robotic-assisted surgical techniques will reduce the risk of these side effects in many surgical procedures."

Following its success for prostate operations, robotic-assisted surgery is now used for many gynaecological procedures, including hysterectomies and common conditions such as fibroids, abnormal bleeding, pelvic floor prolapse and fallopian tube surgery as well as endometriosis.

Dr Stuart Jack, Consultant Gynaecologist at ARI said: "Endometriosis is a common condition affecting up to one in 10 women in their reproductive years. It reduces quality of life, causes pain, damages pelvic organs and is associated with infertility. Robotic surgery for severe endometriosis can help relieve pain, improve fertility and restore quality of life."

Many bowel cancer operations can also now be done using keyhole surgery, although removing a bowel tumour using keyhole surgery is a challenging procedure and surgeons may have to switch to open surgery mid-way through the operation and make a large cut in the patient's stomach to get to the cancer.

Mr Tim McAdam, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, added: "Robotic systems like the one we are fundraising for can make it easier for surgeons to learn to take out and remove bowel cancers using keyhole techniques, and obviously a better view and equipment reduce the chances of problems and having to make larger cuts."

The robot will also be used in training future surgeons, as well as being used for vital research work such as further evaluation of the impact of robotic surgery.

For more information about the campaign or to make a donation, call the UCAN team on 01224 559312.