Robotic surgery: Less pain, quick recovery time, low risk of infection

Posted by Dr. Do Minh Hung - Head of General Surgery Department, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

Less invasive surgery includes robotic surgery (robotic surgery) and less invasive non-robot surgery (classic laparoscopic surgery). Minimally invasive surgery brings many advantages such as small incision, less pain, low risk of infection, short hospital stay, fast recovery time, less scarring, less blood loss, and improved treatment results.

Surgical robots have gone beyond being a household tool to give surgeons greater control and vision, allowing them to safely, less invasively and precisely perform surgery.
More than 5,000 surgical robots were used in over 1 million surgeries worldwide last year. These surgeries extend from orthopedics, urology, general surgery, gynecology, neurology, thoracic, otolaryngology, obesity, colorectal, many types of cancer - even dental implants and Hair transplants. Robotic surgery is no longer seen as a technology of the future - it is an active and effective technology today.
The Da Vinci intuitive surgical robot has dominated the medical, business, and engineering communities, but few realize it is just one of more than a dozen robotic devices approved by the FDA and CE for use in the United States. and Europe. Lesser known companies, such as Stereotaxis in cardiac catheterization, Medtronic/Mazor in spine and neurology, Accuray in cancer tumor irradiation, Stryker's Mako in hip and knee orthopedic surgery, Neocis in dental implants, and Restoration Robotics in hair transplants both improve human surgeons' performance and patient outcomes.

The success of the Da Vinci Surgical Robot has spurred the application of robots to every surgical specialty. Some new devices compete with da Vinci, while others reach for entirely new specialties. The result is more than a dozen robotic surgical devices in use today, with at least three dozen more entering the market over the next five years. Robotic assistance is becoming the norm for all surgeries, not the exception.

Existing surgical robots can be divided into four categories, each representing a different method to enhance the doctor's manipulative ability and accuracy.
Robotic systems such as Da Vinci, TransEnterix Senhance, CMR Versius and Titan SPORT convert surgeon movements into machine movements through computer communication between the system working directly on the patient from remote and doctor's console. This type can be classified as “Surgeon Waldo”, inspired by the 1942 science fiction short story, Waldo, by Robert A. Heinlein, where a scientist named Waldo used similar devices for productions. industrial output. The Waldos Surgeon is designed to improve human accuracy, increase strength, increase endurance, and reduce hand tremors. Energy delivery robots like Accuray's CyberKnife use a programmed treatment program that calculates the locations and directions of energy firing to focus and destroy tumors at specific locations inside the body.
Orthopedic and dental implant robots work from a digital map of the patient, similar to previous types, but act as an “Assistant Guide” to humans. These systems ensure that human-initiated actions are consistent with the digital plan created in the pre-operative phase. The robot can naturally execute precisely, avoiding deviations that could yield suboptimal treatment.

Motorized laparoscopic tools, also known as hand-held robots, are a more modest line that offers more flexibility for straight laparoscopic instruments. The instrument is fitted with a motor and control unit (electrical or mechanical) to the endoscopic handle, allowing the surgical head to function as a flexible wrist joint that can be angled and rotated similar to the Surgeon Waldo, but with Low cost and small size. This category also includes endoscopes that automate through voice, laser, eye tracking and other methods, allowing the surgeon to control the laparoscope without the need for an assistant holding the laparoscope during surgery. art.
These four types of surgical robots capture most of what is currently being used or developed. However, new generations of robots will certainly be required in the future as we continue to expand our capabilities.

In our country, the da Vinci robot system is being invested in some hospitals. The investment in this system is very expensive, including in terms of equipment, training of machine operators, surgeons, instrument nursing, maintenance... This will certainly increase the cost of surgery. significantly for the patient.
Around the world, there have been comparative studies on the treatment effectiveness of classic laparoscopic surgery and da Vinci robots showing similar results while the cost of robotic surgery is still too high.
The advent of handheld robotic surgery makes minimally invasive surgery much cheaper than da Vinci robots. In fact, da Vinci robotic surgery has not been performed in most types of surgery like the classic laparoscopic surgery. Surgeons need a lot of training time to be able to complete from a basic to complex surgery to avoid complications and complications for the patient. Meanwhile, the classic laparoscopic surgery with an experienced doctor, trained in the use of “hand-held robotic tools” has been able to perform the best for patients from basic to complex surgery with effective results. same treatment results at a much cheaper cost.

I think, with the economic situation of most patients like in our country today, the application of less invasive surgery by hand-held robots brings many benefits to patients. In the future, when there are more new robotic systems, it will help reduce the cost of surgery thanks to this method.
Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital is currently implementing a new technique – Minimally invasive surgery: surgery with a hand-held robot for specialties: Gastroenterology; Urology... brings optimal treatment results and good prognosis for patients with economical cost.

For more advice on the Gastroenterology program and to schedule an examination and treatment, please contact us on the website for service.