A major medical milestone has been achieved in the West Midlands, offering new hope and a faster recovery for breast cancer patients. For the first time, women undergoing combined breast cancer removal and reconstructive surgery have had the procedure performed while they were awake.
A Pioneering Procedure for Patient Care
In a significant advancement for surgical care, teams at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust successfully carried out their inaugural awake oncoplastic breast surgery in November. This highly specialised technique involves performing a mastectomy and reconstruction in a single operation, but instead of using a general anaesthetic, patients receive a series of precise local nerve blocks.
This approach means patients remain conscious throughout the surgery but are free from pain. The pioneering operation was led by the Trust's anaesthetic team alongside consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon Ms Geeta Shetty. Key figures in developing the technique include Consultant Anaesthetists Dr Viraj Shah and Dr Sudhakar Marri.
Patient Experience and Rapid Recovery
The first patient to benefit from this new option was 52-year-old Lisa Thacker from Oldbury. After the benefits were clearly explained, she chose the awake procedure. Lisa, who suffers from chronic migraines, was concerned about the effects of general anaesthetic.
“I was told it was likely I would go home on the same day if I had the nerve block instead, so decided to go for it,” she said. “I can’t praise the team, especially Dr Viraj Shah, enough. They spent a lot of time explaining the procedure and I felt reassured.” Remarkably, Lisa was discharged just four hours after her operation and has been recovering well at home.
She strongly advocates for the technique, adding, “I would encourage other patients to explore the option... Medicine is advancing, and this will probably become the norm in the future.”
Trust-Wide Benefits and Future Implications
This surgery represents another achievement for the Trust's anaesthetic and breast surgery departments, which have also performed twelve awake mastectomies and lymph node removals over the past year.
Dr Viraj Shah highlighted the dual benefits of the technique: “This technique offers a safer alternative for patients at higher risk from general anaesthesia, or those who prefer to avoid it, while providing excellent pain control during and after surgery.”
The advantages extend beyond the operating theatre. Patients are less likely to need post-operative monitoring in hospital, which reduces bed occupancy and allows individuals to recover comfortably at home. Dr Shah confirmed that patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive regarding comfort levels during surgery.
This breakthrough at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust marks a transformative step in breast cancer care, prioritising patient safety, comfort, and a significantly quicker return to normal life.
