First patient in the Republic of Ireland receives new outpatient bladder tumour treatment at St. Vincent’s University Hospital

23rd September 2026

A patient at St. Vincent’s University Hospital has today, 23^rd September, become the first in the Republic of Ireland to undergo a new outpatient laser procedure for the treatment of a small bladder tumour.

John Hall, who is in his 60s, underwent Transurethral Laser Ablation (TULA), following the introduction of the treatment by the Urology team at St. Vincent’s.

TULA is a minimally invasive treatment for selected small bladder tumours. A thin, flexible camera is passed into the bladder, allowing the urologist to examine the bladder and use targeted laser energy to treat small tumours or suspicious areas during the same outpatient procedure. The treatment can be carried out without a general anaesthetic and, for suitable patients, avoids the need for treatment in theatre and a hospital admission.

For John, the difference was significant.

John takes blood-thinning medication and, ahead of previous procedures, has had to stop taking it five days beforehand. He says it can take him around a week afterwards to feel back to normal.

For today’s TULA procedure, John did not have to stop his blood-thinning medication. The procedure took approximately 15–20 minutes, required no general anaesthetic or hospital admission and John was able to leave St. Vincent’s and go himself home afterwards.

For future patients who are suitable for TULA, the new service provides another treatment option, particularly for older patients, people living with other medical conditions and selected patients taking anticoagulant medication who may face additional considerations around having a general anaesthetic.

It also means appropriate treatment that would previously have required theatre time and potentially a hospital bed can instead take place through the outpatient service.

Ms Nikita Bhatt, Consultant Urologist at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, said:

“As the Bladder Cancer Centre for patients across Dublin and the South-East, it is important that we continue to develop our service and give patients access to treatment that reflects international standards and advances in bladder cancer care.

 TULA gives us another option for carefully selected patients. For some, avoiding a general anaesthetic and having their treatment as an outpatient can make a real difference to their experience.

We want to continue to be at the forefront of developments in bladder cancer care and introduce technologies where they can genuinely improve care for our patients. TULA is one of the ways we can do that.”

The introduction of TULA at St. Vincent’s has been led by Ms Bhatt, Ms Aisling Looney, Consultant Urologist & Andrologist, and Aoife McDonnell, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, working with colleagues across the Urology service.

For John, the impact was immediate: his treatment was completed during a short outpatient visit and he was able to head home shortly afterwards.