Robotic surgery has become increasingly popular, as its many advantages over traditional techniques outweigh them. These advantages include minimally invasive processes, high precision, and better visualization.
Though these systems provide numerous advantages over conventional instruments, there are some drawbacks which include their size and cost.
Minimally Invasive
Your doctor may need to perform surgery in order to treat a health problem. Surgery typically involves opening up your body by making an incision, and there are various techniques for doing that including traditional open surgery, laparoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery.
Minimally invasive surgical techniques allow your doctor to operate more precisely while experiencing less pain, scarring, and healing time than open surgery. Laparoscopic techniques employ thin tubes with cameras attached that can be inserted through small incisions in your skin for operation.
Some of these techniques can also help perform complex surgeries that would otherwise be impossible, such as extracting kidney tumors without taking out the whole organ. Your doctor can advise which of these surgeries would best meet your needs and recovery goals.
Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery allows your surgeon to make very small incisions and insert a robotic arm and instruments through them, attached to a platform which simulates your surgeon’s hand movements at a console and controlled from an nearby computer.
This technology has revolutionized minimally invasive surgery, enabling doctors to perform multiple types of procedures with high precision and improved visualization compared to traditional techniques. Furthermore, robotic systems allow surgeons to work on small areas like prostate glands that would otherwise be too small for traditional laparoscopic methods.
The robotic system operates by transmitting real-time images from your body directly to a surgeon seated at a console in the operating room. He or she sees magnified and higher resolution images than what would otherwise be visible standing over you.
Your surgeon can use the robotic system to perform various surgical procedures, including removal of tumors from your chest or bladder. At Sutter Health, specialists possess the experience and skill to use cutting-edge technologies for these procedures to ensure you receive care while achieving a safe and successful recovery process.
High Precision
Surgical robots must have high levels of precision and be durable enough to withstand the rigorous conditions found within an operating room environment – this is particularly crucial when dealing with patients in poor health.
Attaining this goal through surgical robotic systems is possible through improved instrumentation, sensors and visualization, miniaturization and flexibility; however, there remain limitations which must be addressed.
As part of some procedures with large operative fields, such as colorectal surgery, there must be multiple changes in patient and cart positioning in order to retract or expose instruments – this requires careful planning and coordination.
Hemostasis must also be accurate because there is an increased risk of infection when blood supply is interrupted during robotic surgery, and specific devices for washing and suctioning should also be utilized.
Haptic feedback, or combination of kinaesthetic and tactile sensations, adds another level of precision in robotic surgery. It helps the surgeon perceive what force are being applied by the robot on to his or her patient.
An essential factor in both surgeon’s confidence and performance, feeling force applied to patients can provide feedback on whether it is too strong or weak; further, feeling tissue consistency as well as any potential instrument stress exerted upon instruments can aid a successful procedure.
Virtual reality (VR) technology enables surgeons to visually observe the robot they need for control purposes, providing real-time views of system components without physically touching it. VR may also serve as an excellent training ground to learn more about how the robot operates prior to performing actual surgery procedures.
Companies have developed surgical robots specifically tailored for certain procedures. One such robotic surgery system is the da Vinci robotic surgery system, used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The da Vinci system features a camera arm, mechanical arms with surgical instruments attached and computer console control in an operating room; additionally it magnifies and displays high definition 3D images of surgical sites to increase surgical precision and accuracy.
Better Visualization
Robotic surgery is a popular form of minimally invasive surgical procedures used by urologists, gynecologists, general surgeons and cardiothoracic surgeons alike. It enables surgeons to make relatively minor incisions (usually less than two centimeters long) when conducting operations instead of making longer incisions required for open surgery procedures.
Robotic surgery entails implanting several ports into your body and inserting an endoscope – an advanced camera capable of providing high definition 3D images – through one port. Your surgeon then inserts surgical instruments through other ports in order to perform your procedure.
Robot-assisted surgery machines offer surgeons an immersive view of their operative field. Furthermore, this new generation of robotic-assisted surgery machines restore an essential aspect lost with minimally invasive techniques: depth perception. This enables surgeons to better assess operative sites and control instrument movement through incisions without needing an assistant.
Da Vinci Si systems employ two high-definition cameras to provide surgeons with a 3-D virtual reality view of a patient’s body, merging these images onto one video monitor for enhanced depth perception and greater precision and accuracy when conducting complex procedures that would normally require several minimally invasive approaches. This technology allows surgeons to perform more intricate procedures by increasing precision and accuracy by performing less invasive surgeries with greater precision and accuracy than their predecessors could.
Modern systems come equipped with dual consoles that allow two surgeons to collaborate effectively and ergonomic settings that enhance operator comfort.
One advantage of robotic surgery is its shorter learning curve; many patients who undergo robotic-assisted surgeries report being able to go home much sooner compared to traditional open surgeries.
Augmented visual perception helps surgeons prevent instrument collisions during procedures, which is a common risk in traditional single-site surgeries and may lead to significant complications like organ damage or even death.
As 5G becomes more advanced, its capabilities could allow us to take full advantage of them and build an Internet of Medical Skills where doctors from around the world could collaborate remotely on surgical operations without physically being present in one operating room. This could allow amateur surgeons to gain experience from more seasoned doctors as well as aid them with professional growth.
Better Control
Robotic surgery typically involves a surgeon seated at a console operating a robotic arm equipped with surgical instruments attached. They use a 3D camera to see the surgical site and translate hand, wrist, and finger movements into motion that is translated by end-effectors on the robot, in real time. Their movements are then scaled down until their smallest sizes can be controlled by the system’s computer for maximum surgical precision and operational control.
Current methods for controlling robotic arms include supervisory-controlled systems, tele-surgical systems and shared-controlled systems. Each approach offers its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
Tele-surgical systems allow a surgeon and robot to be connected via distance only a few meters apart; however, this technology may experience delays or bandwidth restrictions.
Recently, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and MGH collaborated to create a tele-operated system which allows vascular surgeons to use magnetically controlled guidewires steered through models of brain blood vessels to clear any potential clots that form. This technique, known as Tele-Catheterization method, could potentially assist patients suffering from stroke or other forms of brain damage.
Tele-surgical approaches also reduce the length of time it takes to perform procedures by being less invasive; less time is spent making an incision and creating scar tissue.
The Tele-Catheterization method developed by the MIT and MGH team is particularly advantageous when performing endovascular surgeries that require threads to be threaded carefully through the body’s arteries and veins, such as endovascular surgeries. Such procedures often have tight timelines and require extensive training from surgeons in order to perform safely and successfully.
Computer-mediated control data allows the surgeon to communicate more precisely with their robotic arms, giving greater precision when manipulating end-effectors and robotic arms. Telemanipulator technology also makes this possible, allowing surgeons to remotely direct robotic arms using an X-ray or ultrasound scanner.
One of the most commonly utilized tele-surgical systems is the da Vinci system, utilized by many surgeons due to its ease of use and its ability to remotely control robotic arms and surgical instruments from a distance, providing greater control than traditional methods.