With the passage of time, medical technology has redefined itself over and over again. A peep into the past gives you an idea of how far the surgeons's scalpel has traveled, and how surgery is slowly but surely evolving.
Surgical procedures have to be routinely carried out, where such intervention is necessary, in order to improve and optimize the overall health of patients. In doing so, surgeons would like to resort to techniques that cause the least pain and discomfort.
Minimal invasive surgical techniques have gradually emerged as an alternative to open surgery, and it is now possible to perform simple and sometimes even complex procedures with the minimal invasive approach, with skilled surgeons at the helm.
The future of Minimal Invasive surgery is so bright that robotic arms could very well replace a surgeons's hands, at least in some procedures. Robotic surgery is associated with fewer complications, minimal blood loss, decreased hospital stay, and decreased pain, as surgical procedures are performed through very small incisions.
The first robotic procedure occurred in 1985 when a robot was used to place a needle for a brain biopsy. Since then, much progress has been made in robotic technology, and today at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center the latest version of the FDA-approved robotics equipment called the da Vinci Si is being used widely.
The da Vinci robot was named as such in part because Leonardo da Vinci invented the first robot. The da Vinci robot has been utilized to perform gynecologic, urologic, cardiothoracic and other general surgery procedures.
A surgeon's console, a patient-side-robotic card with four arms manipulated by the surgeon, and a high definition on 3D vision system, make up the da Vinci Surgical System. Small surgical instruments mounted on the robotic arms can move just like the surgeons' hands.
The absence of large incisions, presence of wristed instruments that offer more flexibility, the filtering out of tremor normally associated with human hands, and a 3D image makes the procedure precise and well controlled.
Surgeons seated at their consoles are always in control of the arms of the robot, hence the precision and dexterity usually associated with robotic- assisted surgery, is in reality reflected in the skill and dexterity of the surgeon seated at the console. The robot cannot act independently, but it maximizes the attributes of the surgeon.
The surgeon always visualizes the real time image of the patient, and there is no virtual reality involved in the robotic surgery.
Having said that -- robotic surgery may not be appropriate for all patients -- who would need to discuss the procedures with the surgeon.
However, there is no doubt that the robotic surgery team at Penn State Hershey Medical Center is developing its skill as more information becomes available on the experience with this new technology. A da Vinci robot was on site on March 19, 2010, for attendees to try their hand at robotic surgery.
The Department of Surgery at Penn State Hershey Medical Center is recognized not only for its specialized patient care but also for its pioneering research, nationally recognized physicians, and advanced technology.
Mini Swamy is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Patrick Barnard
