Robots in the Operating Room?

Who would have imagined that a surgeon would one day be assisted by a robot? The new robotic-assisted surgery system is called the Da Vinci Surgical System.

Montefiore medical center is one of the many hospitals using a robot to perform prostate surgery making the delicate surgery safer and more effective as well as easier on the patient than ever before.

Prostate surgery, also known as radical prostatectomy, is often the only real hope for some 220,000 men diagnosed with cancer each year. Nearly half of men develop some form of prostate cancer by the age of 50 an the risk only increases with age. As one of only approximately 300 hospitals nationwide to employ robotics for the surgical treatment of prostate cancer, montefiore is helping to make radical prostatectomy much less radical.

The robotic surgical system used is a four-armed robot that allows surgeons to direct the micro movements of tiny surgical instruments through the smallest openings. While seated at a control panel several feet away from the operating table, surgeons are able to control the robots hands and arms, which has a jointed wrist design. These flexible wrist bend and twist with more agility than human hands, enabling the surgeon to make key hole size incisions and place delicate sutures precisely. Traditional open radical prostatectomy's generally require 8-10 inch incisions and can result in substantial blood loss, a lengthy and uncomfortable recovery, and the risk of impotence and incontinence. The smaller incisions and greater precision that are possible with the Da Vinci Surgical System reduces the risk of complications. In addition to holding surgical instruments, the robotic hands also hold a high magnification camera that enhances the surgeon's visibility and provides a 3-D view

For patients the benefits are clear. The robots allows them to perform procedures endosmotically, which means the patient suffers less physical trauma, less blood loss, and less pain compared to open surgery. The new medical tools also enable the surgeons' work to be recorded. This would allow doctors to analyze how well patients respond to treatment and learn which techniques and procedures are most effective.

More than a dozen institutions use a robot that allows doctors to make virtual rounds, checking in on patients from their offices and homes through telemedicine, technology that delivers health care at a distance. With this cutting-edge new technology available, patients can expect super-human accuracy and a much quicker recovery.