Patients at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate have experienced a significant advancement in surgical care with the introduction of robotic-assisted procedures. In fact, patients like Mandy Lee and Stanley Russell have already experienced the magic of this innovative approach. They had surgery utilizing a cutting-edge robotic system that greatly improves precision and leads to quicker recovery times.
Mandy Lee, diagnosed with bowel cancer, was the first patient to have the robotic procedure at QEQM. She had most of her bowel taken out on a Thursday and she was back home by Sunday. Since the procedure she says she feels more like herself each day. A robotic system with four independent arms supports her surgery. The surgeon operates these arms remotely while receiving a magnified 3D view inside Lee’s body during the entire procedure.
“It was a bit of a scary thought. I hadn’t even considered the possibility of robotic surgery, but I just wanted the cancer gone, and I wasn’t put off,” Lee stated. She said she had real confidence in the technology, especially since it had proven successful elsewhere in Europe.
Consultant colorectal and general surgeon Sudhaker Mangam, who performed Lee’s procedure, as well as many other similar ones, explains the importance of this breakthrough.
“This marks a major advancement in surgical capability for east Kent patients, enabling greater precision, improved outcomes, and faster recovery times,” Mangam remarked.
Resident of Herne Bay, 68-year-old Stanley Russell made the move to continue his quest. He was the second patient to get equivalent treatment at QEQM, after Lee. He had a robotic procedure that would go a long way toward improving his overall health condition. Russell ended up having an incredible experience. He really liked that the medical team spent over an hour going through every detail about the procedure.
The team explained everything really well and said it would be less painful than going through more invasive surgery, so that made sense to me, Russell said.
Robotic Surgery has finally made it to QEQM, which is a tremendous breakthrough for our healthcare. This innovation was globally pioneered by the National Health Service (NHS) in London earlier this year in 2023. The push behind adopting robotic systems into surgical practices is to provide the best possible patient care through superior surgical technique.