The Medtronic Hugo robotic surgical system at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, November 8, 2024.
Photo: Getty Images
At the QEQM clinic in England, the Hugo robot has operated on two patients.
At the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Canterbury, the first robotic surgery was performed on a patient named Mandy Lee. The procedure was carried out using the Hugo system, which costs several million pounds and is remotely controlled by a surgeon, the BBC reports.
Mandy Lee, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer, underwent removal of part of her intestine. She said:
“It was a bit scary — I hadn’t even considered robotic surgery, but I just wanted the cancer gone, and that didn’t stop me.”
The operation was performed by consultant general and colorectal surgeon Sudhaker Mangam. According to him,
“This marks a significant advance in surgical capabilities for patients in East Kent, enabling greater precision, improved outcomes, and faster recovery.”
Lee also said she had been reassured about the safety of the procedure, as the robot had already been used in other European countries with good results. The Hugo robot has four arms and provides the surgeon with a three-dimensional view of the patient’s body.
The second patient treated at QEQM was 68-year-old Stanley Russell. He also had part of his intestine removed after a small malignant tumor was detected.
Russell said:
“The team explained everything very well and said it would be less painful than a more invasive operation, so it made sense to me.”
He added:
“I had the operation on Thursday and went home on Sunday, and I feel better every day.”
The Hugo robotic system was first used by the NHS in London in 2023. The NHS National Cancer Plan envisages increasing the number of such operations from 70,000 per year to 500,000 by 2035.
