Robotic Surgery

Robotic Surgery consists of using a robotic surgical system to perform operations on patients. Similar to minimally invasive surgery, it can be done solely or it can be performed alongside traditional open surgical procedure as well depending on the situation at hand. The Da Vinci system is the most used robotic system over the world. It consists of three components - the surgeon’s console, a patient cart, and the vision cart. All of these components work together to allow the surgeon to view what is happening and then mimics the moments to guide the instruments.

The surgeon’s console is the place where the surgeon sits. This is the area where he sees what is happening and has master control of how the instruments need to move. He can view high-definition real-time 3D images at the console. The patient cart is kept next to the patient’s bed where he is being operated on. The patient cart holds the camera and the instruments that are required for the surgery. The vision cart is the third component that is in charge of enabling the communication to take place seamlessly between all the components. The components of different surgical systems may vary depending on the particular system.

Robotic Surgery history dates back to the 1980s. In 1985, PUMA 560, was the first robotic surgical system that was used for the stereotaxic operation. Then, in 1988, PROBOT was used to perform transurethral prostate surgery. In 1992, ROBODOC was developed for femur cavity preparation. In the 1990s, when laparoscopic surgery started, minimally invasive surgery was introduced. Three systems were created by this time; Da Vinci surgical system, Zeus and AESOP Robotic Surgical systems. Da Vinci surgical system was developed by Intuitive Surgical Inc. and the AESOP and Zeus systems were developed by Computer Motion.

Computer Motion was acquired by Intuitive Surgical Inc. Within a few years, Zeus was discontinued. Today, the Da Vinci surgical system is the most used across the globe. There are presently four models of Da Vinci robotic surgical systems that are available; Da Vinci Si, Da Vinci X, Da Vinci Xi, and Da Vinci SP. These are designed for different types of robotic surgeries.

Why is robotic surgery performed?

Robotic Surgery is excellent for complex procedures that require a high amount of precision. Sometimes, highly complex surgeries are not possible in the traditional way. In such cases, Robotic Surgery might be the only option because it provides the flexibility that is required for the surgery to be completed. Robotic Surgery enables surgeons to thoroughly examine the area that is being operated on. This gives a clearer view to the surgeons which is highly beneficial for them to precisely conduct the operation because some things are not clear with the naked eye. Moreover, it gives more control over what is being done.

The advantages of Robotic Surgery are present for surgeons and patients. For the surgeon, it allows the surgery to be done with precision that was not possible before. This is why Robotic Surgery is great for delicate surgeries as well. During a normal surgery, the doctor is supposed to stand for hours performing the surgery on the patient. When robotic-assisted surgery is done, this is not the case. Hence, surgeon fatigue is minimised during Robotic Surgery as they can sit comfortably and use their hands to guide the robot to replicate their movements to perform the surgery.

In certain critical locations, Robotic Surgery is better because the robotic arms can reach places that are difficult for the surgeon’s hands to reach. This makes it a highly effective method for performing surgery in hard-to-reach areas.

There are many advantages of Robotic Surgery for patients. Robotic Surgery means faster recovery time which means they can get back to work much faster as compared to when they have surgery with traditional methods. The risk of infection is much lesser in Robotic Surgery and it is comparatively less painful. Since the surgery is minimally invasive, there is less damage and the scars are smaller.