Patients at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in East Kent are already benefiting from robotic surgery. This advancement is the first step toward a monumental leap forward in medical innovation. Mandy Lee and Stanley Russell, first two patients, soon to undergo successful procedures. Their stories provide a glimpse at the amazing benefits this new technology has to offer.
On Thursday, 68-year-old Mandy Lee had robotic surgery to remove part of her bowel. She was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. She was home in just three days, improving daily. Before the operation, Lee had shared her initial fears about robotic surgery but was comforted by the surgical team.
“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.
The surgical team – which includes consultant colorectal and general surgeon Sudhaker Mangam – clearly explained the procedure to Lee. They repeatedly touted that it would be less painful than other surgery approaches. The surgeon controls the robot during the procedure through four arms that are remotely controlled. This system provides the surgeon with a high-definition, gyroscopic-controlled, three-dimensional view of the patient’s body, improving accuracy and maneuverability.
Mangam also stressed the historic importance of robotic surgery’s arrival in newer facility. This breakthrough significantly expands east Kent patients’ surgical arsenal, promising superior precision, better outcomes and shorter recovery times.
Mr Russell was the second robotic patient to be treated at QEQM. He was particularly pleased with the detailed explanation and nature of the info he received from the team.
Russell continued that the team was very clear in how they explained everything. They told him it would be less painful than more invasive surgery, which resonated with him.
The NHS in London was the first health authority in the world to implement the robotic surgical procedure in 2023. Now, it is rolling out to ten other hospitals, including QEQM. This technology will transform the future of minimal access surgery. Most importantly, it means that patients experience less pain and shorter recovery times than with conventional approaches.