In a significant advancement for surgical procedures in east Kent, the Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) recently performed its first robotic surgeries. Led by surgeon Sudhaker Mangam, the hospital utilized state-of-the-art robotic technology to treat patients diagnosed with serious conditions, including bowel cancer.
The inaugural patient to take this cutting-edge treatment was 68-year-old Mandy Lee. After receiving her bowel cancer diagnosis, Lee had surgery that Thursday to remove most of her bowel. She described her initial apprehension about robotic surgery, stating, “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.”
The robot-assisted procedure provided Lee with a less painful option than the old-school invasive surgery. The robotic system originally included four arms for surgical tools, each remotely controlled by a surgeon located miles away from his patient. This makes it possible to implement a much higher level of precision and control while the device is in use. Mangam, who oversaw the operation, was adamant about the advantages of this emerging technology.
“This marks a major advancement in surgical capability for east Kent patients, enabling greater precision, improved outcomes, and faster recovery times,” said Sudhaker Mangam. He emphasized the fact that the robot gives surgeons a 3D, high definition view inside the patient’s body. This sophisticated visualization increases their precision when executing surgical drone maneuvers dodging the moths.
After her surgery, Lee went home by Sunday, having made a quick recovery. She said she was feeling better each day following the procedure, a testament to the improved impacts of robotic surgery on patient recovery.
Mr Russell became the second patient to have a procedure through a robot at QEQM. He expressed confidence in the surgical team, stating, “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.”
The same robot used at QEQM has already proven successful on over 18,000 similar procedures throughout Europe. It was initially demonstrated by the NHS in London earlier this year to be a transformative shift in surgical practice.