Computer-Assisted Surgery: An Update
Here is an article presented by the Food and Drug Administration or FDA about the improvements and changes in computer assisted surgery today. Also microscopes are used to assist surgeons during these procedures like operation microscopes.
The da Vinci Surgical System was cleared in the year 2000 for its use of laparoscopic surgeries in cases like cholecystectomy. Nowadays, this procedure has expanded to cater to surgeries like prostatectomy and internal thoracic artery surgeries. The developments have improved their usage and laparoscopy is now being widely utilized worldwide. In 2005, the da Vinci Surgical System was given the go-signal for laparoscopic procedures in gynecology.
The procedure can now be used to remove the uterus in a hysterectomy surgery or in a myomectomy, which is the removal of uterine fibroids without having to make large incisions in the abdomen. The small incisions allow for the patient to experience less post-operative discomfort, pain and risk for infections. The system is also known to be used in urologic or kidney surgeries. Recently, the FDA has widened the system’s use, making it applicable to cardiac surgery. This breakthrough, says Lester M. Crawford, acting FDA commissioner, is one that may change complicated heart surgeries as we know them today.
The reason why computer assisted surgery or laparoscopic surgery is widely gaining recognition is that the procedure is minimally invasive, meaning that only small incisions are made for the operation, compared to the large and often complicated incisions which puts the patient at risk for hemorrhage, infection, post-operative pain and a long period of healing. Although there is some skill to be learned when using the laparoscope and subsequent instruments, in addition to this the use of specialized microscopes like operation microscopes, the benefits outweigh the risks by far.
The da Vinci system has four arms that are inserted into the patient via these small incisions. One of these has a camera and operation microscopes that allows for visualization. The surgeon sits at a console near the operating table and views the inner cavities of the patient through a high tech magnified three-dimensional system. The surgeon, like a pilot at the cockpit, can move these arms whichever way he wants by manipulating the controls at his fingertips. The surgeon is not worried about hard-to-reach areas because these arms have wrists that bend and reach on command. The surgeon can examine, incise, remove and stitch with these robotic arms.
As the da Vinci system develops, there is noted improvement in the precision of the accuracy it can achieve. Surgeons prefer this method more now, compared to the conventional type of surgeries, where more complications can arise. Intuitive Surgical Inc., manufacturers of the da Vinci system, proudly state that there have been no deaths or injuries associated with the system so far. Their patients are happier because recovery time, costs and pain have been reduced to half of what it used to be.
The system, though, is not for everyone. Surgeons should discuss with their patients the advantages and disadvantages of computer assisted surgery. A thorough history of the patient should be achieved before making them candidates. A patient will not be considered for computer assisted surgeries if they have had a history of abdominal surgery, is obese or the part that is to be extracted or removed is too large for the system to handle. Continue research on this page
