QEQM Hospital recently marked a significant milestone by completing its first robotic surgery. Significantly, this innovative procedure brings a new era of healthcare to the region. On a Thursday, 68-year-old Mandy Lee from Herne Bay accepted her bowel cancer diagnosis with bravery. She received a new kind of procedure, keyhole surgery with robotic assistance, part of her bowel was removed. We performed this innovative surgery with a robotic system having four arms. Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon Sudhaker Mangam had operated them remotely.
The robotic arms provided Mangam a 3D view inside Lee’s body during the procedure. Without a doubt, this technology helped him reach the next level of precision and control. London’s NHS Trust was the first to adopt this technology en masse, earlier this year. It is now widely viewed as a big win for innovation. Seeing that, I was pretty comfortable that we had a reliable robot! He found that it was working well in a few European countries.
Lee remembered, “The team just made everything simple to understand. They told me it would be more effective and less painful than doing an actual surgery and that just resonated with me.”
She said that after the surgery, things moved quickly, with Lee going home only three days later this past Sunday. Her recovery has been very positive, as she mentioned, “I’m getting better every day since the surgery.”
Mangam emphasized how vital it was for them to bring robotic surgeries to their local community. He said, “This is a significant step forward in the east Kent patient’s surgical ability with more precision, better outcomes and quicker recovery times.”
As seen in the use of robotic technology during surgical procedures, the shifts towards automation provide significant benefits such as lessened pain and lower hospital stay times. With plans to extend its capabilities even further, the QEQM Hospital is committed to making sure island residents have access to the most modern medical treatments right at home.
Lee shared her concerns at first, only to feel inspired to move forward with the highly invasive surgery. “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,” she mentioned.