Type of Surgery
A Primer on Robotic Surgery
Last updated: 04/20/2009
A Primer on Robotic Surgery
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When people first hear the term robotic surgery it is hard not to imagine a robot plucked straight from a science fiction movie standing over a patient in an operating room. While this may be a common site several decades from now, the type of robotic surgery that is performed today is not quite as fanciful—yet it is still very impressive.
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Robotic surgery may be more accurately described as robot-assisted surgery and even then, the term is perhaps applied too liberally. Robotic surgery is a form of minimally invasive surgery in which surgeons guide mechanized tools and robotic arms to perform surgical procedures. The term is slightly misleading since most people think of robots as autonomous meaning that robots “think” according to a programmed set of rules. In reality, the robotic surgery of today is not quite so complex. A surgeon guides the actions of the robot at all times.
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During the procedure, a surgeon is seated at a console that contains several advanced controls, not unlike video game controllers (though much more advanced). This console also contains a monitor on which she can view the patient through one or more video cameras. At the patient’s side, the robotic apparatus is guided by the surgeon—from first incision, through all of the surgical maneuvers, and then finishing with the closing sutures. The “robot” is equipped with various robotic arms, specialized gripping devices and laparoscopic cameras to provide the surgeon working at the console full control of the surgery.
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While the surgeon is performing the robotic surgery remotely, in truth, she is seated a few feet away from the patient. Currently patients are still warming to the idea of robotic surgery and usually insist that the surgeon be immediately available, just in case. Theoretically, the technology could permit a surgeon in California to guide a robotic surgeon in a remote, poorly developed country with limited access to highly trained surgeons. As of right now this is not done routinely, but this application has certainly been considered.
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Since the surgeon is always present during the procedure, one obvious question that arises (even from other surgeons) is: why perform robotic surgery at all? Apparently the robotic arms allow for unprecedented control of the surgical area. The movements of the surgeon’s hands are captured, filtered, and transmitted to the robot to provide fluid movements while minimizing tremor and unwanted motion. Surgeries that use the robotic surgery device are associated with shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times for the patient once they leave the hospital.
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Initial use of robotic surgery has been highly successful and the rate of complications has been quite low. Patients, while somewhat apprehensive at first, appreciate the success and quick recovery from robotic surgery.
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The robotic surgery devices are not available everywhere and are currently limited to major surgical centers; however, they are in use in various countries around the world. There are only a certain number of surgeries that are routinely performed robotically, but, as the technology expands, the number of robotic surgical procedures will increase as well.
Last Updated: 04/20/2009
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