Dr. Jim Surrell, Journal columnist

Robotic surgery is defined as a method to perform surgery using very small tools attached to a robotic arm. The surgeon controls the robotic arm with a computer. The primary source of the following robotic surgery information is from the US National Library of Medicine.

A patient undergoing robotic surgery will generally be given general anesthesia so that the patient is asleep and will therefore be pain-free during the robotic surgical procedure. The surgeon sits at a computer station and directs the movements of a robot. Small surgical tools are attached to the robot’s arms. The surgeon makes small cuts to insert the instruments into the patient’s body. A thin tube with a camera attached to the end of it (laparoscope) and this allows the surgeon to view enlarged 3-D images as the surgery is taking place. The robot is totally controlled by the surgeon’s hand movements to perform the procedure using the tiny robotic instruments.

Robotic surgery is similar to laparoscopic surgery. It can be performed through smaller cuts than open surgery. The small, precise movements that are possible with robotic surgery give it some advantages over standard laparoscopic techniques. The surgeon can make small, precise movements using this method. This allows the surgeon to do a surgical procedure through a small robotic incision that previously could only have been done with open surgery with a much larger incision in the patient’s body.

Once the robotic arm is placed in the abdomen, it is easier for the surgeon to use the surgical tools than with laparoscopic surgery through a laparoscope. The surgeon can also see the area where the surgery is performed more easily. This method also allows the surgeon to move the robotic instruments in a more comfortable way. Robotic surgery may take longer to perform than open surgery. This is due to the amount of time needed to set up and use the robot. Also, some hospitals may not have access to this method. However, it is becoming more commonly used in more hospitals.

As noted above, when a robotic surgical procedure is done on the abdomen, the abdominal robotic incisions are much smaller than the incisions done with traditional open surgery done on the abdomen. This may often lead to post-op benefits that may include a faster recovery, less pain and bleeding. less risk for infection, a shorter hospital stay, and smaller scars.

It is reported that robotic surgery is frequently used in the medical specialty of Urology, as it enables Urology surgeons to perform their complex procedures with great precision and accuracy. Robotic surgery is also now being used in many other surgical specialties such as Gynecology, General Surgery, Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Neurosurgery, and others. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books. Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.