On a recent Thursday, 68-year-old Mandy Lee underwent a groundbreaking robotic surgery at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Kent, becoming one of the first patients to benefit from this innovative procedure. In 2018, Lee was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Throughout the procedure, Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon Sudhaker Mangam resected her bowel.
Lee was able to go home that Sunday, just three days after her computed surgery. We are so grateful and pleased that she is getting better every day since the surgery! The robotic procedure gives patients a less invasive option compared to open heart surgery. It’s meant to cause the least amount of patient pain and the fastest recovery time.
The state-of-the-art robot first used in Lee’s surgery works via four robotic arms remotely operated by the surgeon. This advanced technology provides a detailed, three-dimensional view inside the patient’s body, which helps to ensure added accuracy throughout the complex procedure. Although robotic surgery made Lee nervous at first, her health had to come first.
“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.” – Mandy Lee
Bringing robotic surgery to QEQM is a major step forward for patients across east Kent. The NHS in London was the first to carry out the procedure earlier this year. Its success has inspired other local hospitals to be the first in their state to adopt it themselves.
Mangam focused on the significance of this development for the region’s surgical capacity.
“This marks a major advancement in surgical capability for east Kent patients, enabling greater precision, improved outcomes, and faster recovery times.” – Sudhaker Mangam
Stanley Russell, the second patient to receive a robotic procedure at QEQM, said it was reassuring. He commended the medical staff for doing a great job explaining everything step by step. More importantly, they pointed to the benefits of using the robotic approach.
“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.” – Stanley Russell
The pace of change in healthcare technology can be overwhelming. Patients such as Lee and Russell can expect not only more surgical options with better outcomes, but shorter recoveries and increased comfort. These pathfinding surgeries have all been successful. If done smartly, they’ll pave the way to novel uses for robotic-assisted procedures across the healthcare continuum.