The area of surgery, like most of medicine, has evolved quite a bit over the years. Many of the procedures that used to require significant incisions and a lengthy recovery period are now performed using robotic surgical techniques. Robotic surgery is a type of minimally-invasive surgery that involves a robotic device that is operated by a specially-trained surgeon. We are pleased to perform many of our surgical procedures using the da Vinci robotic surgery system.
What Robotics Mean for Patients
Although the da Vinci robotic surgery system was approved by the FDA in 2000, many people still question its efficacy and safety. We’re here to say that there are several reasons why robotic surgery has become the technique of choice among doctors and the patients who know about the latest in medical evolution. Since the late 80s, when robotic surgery devices were just getting started, numerous advances have taken place. This is true even of the da Vinci system.
According to many doctors who have used robotic systems since their inception, newer systems have gained so much dexterity that they are approximately 10 times more precise than the human hand. About as frequently as our smartphones and other gadgets get updates, so do robotic surgical systems. These updates include lens improvements for more clarity and magnification of the surgical field, smaller robotic arms and an increase in the variety of surgical instruments.
What these improvements mean to patients are enhanced benefits. The primary benefit of robotic surgery is that it is minimally-invasive. Techniques involve small incisions, taking what were once “open” surgeries and transforming them to “closed.” Closed surgery means less bleeding, less scarring, less discomfort after surgery, less risk of infection and, in many cases, a shorter recovery period.
Robotic surgery is now often an integral aspect of cancer treatments, from prostate to kidney to bladder cancers. Historically, surgical procedures for urological and other types of cancers have been complicated. Robotic platforms have significantly improved surgical capacity to perform complex surgeries in a minimally-invasive way. Life-saving surgeries with fewer risks and a faster return to normal activities.
