Advantages of Robotic Surgery
Robots in the field of surgery have dramatically changed the procedures for the
better. The most significant advantage to Robotic Surgery to the patient is the
decrease in pain and scaring. By using cameras and enhanced visual effects,
doctors can make the tinniest of incisions. The da Vinci and Zeus system each
use “arms” to operate. In order for these arms to get inside the body and
operate, they only need a few centimeters for an incision. In fact The San
Matteo Hospital in Pavia, Italy performed a Cardiac Bypass surgery that included
three incisions, each about one centimeter in length. Typically in that type of
surgery the incision is about 30 centimeters in length.
The smallness of the incisions also causes many other advantages that make Robotic Surgery worth the risk. Due to the small and precise cuttings, the patents hospital stay is greatly reduced. A person needs far less recovery time when they have 3-centimeter scars then when they have a scar almost 10 times as large. Also, the risk of infection or complications decreases as the incision size does. The patient mentioned earlier with the Closed Heart Bypass surgery is a terrific example. After his surgery, he was cleared by his surgeon Dr. Mauro Rinaldi and released from the hospital after only 12 hours of recovery. The next week he was actually able to join his family on a vacation.
Besides the obvious rewards to the patient, Robotic Surgery is also very advantageous to the surgeon and hospital. In the ZEUS Surgical System, an “arm” on the machine is dedicated to the Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning (AESOP). AESOP is a 3D camera used in robotic surgery. It can be zoomed in by either voice activation or pedals located at the surgeons foot. Doctors who have used this actually argue that AESOP gives a better image than in real life. This is particularly true with surgeons that have poor vision or in microscopic surgery’s that deal with nerves. Also, by using the hand controls the surgeons can reach places in the body that are normally unreachable by the human hand. Finally, the most clear advantage to using robots in surgery is in long operations, particularly ones that deal with nerve or tissue reconstruction. Surgeons often tire easily after performing microscopic surgery’s that last hours. However, by having the ability to be seated and have less strain on the eyes, doctors can control their natural flinching or nerves more efficiently
.