Mandy Lee, a 68-year-old patient, recently underwent a groundbreaking robotic surgery at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate. The maneuver was actually performed on a Thursday. Surgeons removed most of her bowel after a misdiagnosis of bowel cancer. Lee got to go home on Sunday and says she’s feeling positive about her recovery.
Lee’s first experience with robotic surgery was made possible by Consultant Colorectal and General Surgeon Sudhaker Mangam, who headed the procedure. She was reassured to learn that the robotic system had already been successfully implemented elsewhere in Europe. Lee recalled her early fear of robotic surgery, but focused on her hope to remove the cancer.
“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
Like most surgical robots, the device’s four arms are remotely controlled by the surgeon. That allowed Mangam to have a three-dimensional look inside Lee’s body in real time during the surgery. Using augmented reality and robotic arms, this groundbreaking technique is significantly more precise and effective than standard surgical procedures.
To help ease his anxiety about the surgery, the surgical team slowly led Lee through the process. They all promised her it wouldn’t hurt as much as the more invasive alternatives would. This further assurance was critical in her decision to go ahead with the operation.
Lee wasn’t the only patient at QEQM. Just behind her, yet another pioneering robotic procedure was performed by Herne Bay’s Stanley Russell. Russell reinforced the comments made by the surgical team, praising them for their detailed explanations about the advantages of robotic surgery.
“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
Sudhaker Mangam, who led on this achievement, stressed its importance to patients across east Kent. He explained that adoption of robotic surgery is a huge step forward in surgical capabilities in the region.
“This marks a major advancement in surgical capability for east Kent patients, enabling greater precision, improved outcomes, and faster recovery times.” – Sudhaker Mangam