Robotic surgery makes up for the limitations of conventional laparoscopic surgery, making surgical interventions more comfortable and more precise, especially the most complex and difficult to access. Through virtual reality, used in these techniques, the surgeon determines the maneuvers that the robot will perform on the patient. The robots used for these applications are not capable of autonomous movement and are absolutely dependent. These types of robots are known as slave robots and their main function is to emulate the surgeon’s movements in real time.
A minimally invasive technique for surgeries
The “Da Vinci” Surgical system is a platform developed by Intuitive Surgical that allows through a robot to perform complex surgeries with a minimally invasive technique to the human body. This system is mainly used in urological and gynecological pathologies, general surgery and pediatric surgery, among others. This innovative surgical system reduces the hospital stay after surgery by 40%. The Da Vinci robotic system is designed to translate the surgeon’s hand movements to a micrometer scale, completely eliminating hand tremors and using tiny instruments compared to the size of the doctor’s hand, in addition to increasing the range of motion and degrees of freedom of the surgeon’s hand.
The latest generation of the Da Vinci® robotic system has three main components:
- An ergonomic surgeon’s console with 3-D Vision.
- A surgical table with 4 robotic arms that perfect the movements indicated by the specialist.
- Magnified and high-definition vision in three dimensions.
A visualization system makes the doctor’s work easier
Da Vinci consists of an ergonomically designed console for the surgeon, a cart with four robotic arms, a high-quality visualization system and the Endo Wrist instruments, which are those used in surgery, but adapted to be attached to the end of the robotic arms and designed to allow the surgeon to maintain his natural dexterity. At the console, the surgeon operates comfortably seated and with a three-dimensional, magnified image of the inside of the body, and uses the master controls to operate all the instruments.
The system receives commands in real time and reproduces the surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements. Although the Da Vinci® is referred to as a ‘robot’, it cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own, but requires a direct command to perform each maneuver.
Da Vinci Robot speeds up the recovery process among other benefits
The benefits of the Da Vinci® Surgical System have clear advantages for the patient: it speeds up the recovery and hospitalization process, reduces postoperative pain and blood loss, and minimizes scarring.
Use in multiple specialties
The robot can be used for the treatment of various pathologies. Some of the fields in which its use stands out are: gynecology, general surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric surgery, thoracic surgery and cardiac surgery. But where its use and performance really stand out is in urological surgery, where access to complex surgical fields and the need for high precision instruments make it ideal for surgeries such as radical prostatectomy for cancer, partial or total nephrectomy for tumor or renal pyeloplasty. In prostatectomy it stands out for its better results in continence and maintenance of sexual function, and in renal surgery for the greater speed and safety of the intervention.
Doctors López Alcina and Sánchez Ballester of the Urology Service of IMED Valencia have been pioneers in the implementation of robotic surgery in the center, they are the ones with the most experience and accumulated experience in the Valencian Community and their results with the technique are really satisfactory.