Author: Megan Pereira, Yr 12
Robot-assisted surgery is a type of surgery that is done using robotic systems. It supposedly allows for more complex surgeries to be done with a higher level of accuracy and precision. It is usually associated with minimally invasive surgery which is surgery that can be done with smaller cuts than in regular surgery, hence pain and scarring is lesser and recovery time is faster.
In terms of the history of surgery, the ‘founding father’ of plastic surgery and Indian medicine is said to be Sushruta, a renowned Indian physician and surgeon, who is dated between the 6th and 7th centuries BCE. He created The Great Trilogy of Ayurvedic medicine, that describes surgical procedures, diagnostic techniques and treatments for a range of illnesses and injuries. Although he practiced a very long time ago, some of his methods are seen to have inspired modern Western surgery drastically. Surprisingly, up until the industrial revolution, surgeons did not know how to control bleeding, pain and infection. Due to the discoveries related to abolishing these three complications, surgery is now looked at as a process that is able to treat a variety of diseases and conditions, rather than a dangerous, risk-filled, ‘last resort’ procedure.
Robotic surgery has become increasingly popular over the last few years. It is said to have a success rate ranging between 94% and 100%. In addition to that, research shows that the success rate between robotic-assisted surgery and conventional surgery is very similar. One particular robot-assisted surgery device namely the Da Vinci Surgical system has gained a lot of attention due to the fact that it was the first robotic surgery system to be approved by the FDA for general laparoscopic surgery. It was approved by the FDA in 2000 and it was specifically designed to facilitate surgery with a minimally invasive approach and it can be controlled by the surgeon itself through the use of a console. The Da Vinci Surgical System allows surgeons to access a high-resolution camera that has a 3-dimensional view. Furthermore, the mechanical arm attached to the machine has the ability to twist 540 degrees, making it more flexible than a human wrist. These various features allow for a more precise and meticulous procedure than a regular laparoscope.
Although it has been speculated that the health industry will very soon be taken over by robots, reports have shown that a growing number of complications have been reported after the introduction of the Da Vinci Surgical System. As of September 2018, over 144 deaths,1391 injuries and 8061 device malfunctions have been linked to this robot-assisted surgery procedure. Research shows that these complications are occurring due to the fact that the use of the Da Vinci Surgical system means that procedure is longer, hence patients need to be under anesthesia for a longer period of time. In addition to that, robotic-assisted surgery can also lead to nerve damage, inadvertent burns and punctures, and can leave air trapped beneath the skin. These issues have led the FDA to start launching investigations into the complaints about the Da Vinci Surgical System, and these complications have led to the debate of whether robotic surgery is as effective as it is publicized to be.
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