It almost sounds like an episode of the old cartoon that was set in the the year 2062, The Jetsons. Imagine Rosie the Robot performing a prostrate operation on George. Well, robotic surgery for prostate cancer is now a reality. At least, that’s what they are calling it, but it is not exactly what it sounds like. The procedure is done by a doctor operating a remote controlled device.
Traditional prostate procedure is of a more intrusive variety. Individuals who have gone through the robotic assisted operation tend to score it with higher marks than their traditional surgery counterparts. These procedures are a direction you can expect the surgical industry to take a lot more.
You may be surprised to learn that robotic assisted surgery is hardly a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s not unusual for a surgeon to have performed thousands of these operations, starting in the 1990’s. (The earliest robotic assisted operation was in 1985.)
The actual machinery is named the da Vinci surgical system. It allows the prostate to be operated on, or removed without having to open the patient’s body, like most surgeries. Four small holes are made that allow tiny instruments to enter and do the work.
Tissue from encompassing areas is left undisturbed in a way would be impossible with regular surgery. Between the da Vinci’s anti hand tremor technology, the improved visuals from the stereoscopic camera and the meticulous movements of the tools, the procedure is a significant improvement.
This robotic assisted operation has been referred to as “the bloodless prostrate surgery.” The loss of blood is dramatically less than with the traditional method, and the amount of pain is also greatly reduced. The recovery time is also lessened.
It is not difficult to understand why patients of the robotic assisted prostate operation rate their experience better than those who go through the traditional procedure. A number of undesirable side effects of the normal surgery are missing, as is the unsightly, sizable scar. (There are just four small spots.)
How much of a difference is it? Many patients have been seen, actually walking out of the hospital, within hours of their operation. The majority are discharged within 24 hours.
Robotic surgery for prostate cancer is not the only surgery of its kind. There are similar operations done in the fields of; General surgery, Cardiothoracic, Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Gastrointestinal, Gynecology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pediatrics and Urology.
So what about Rosie the Robot? Is she ever going to get a chance to perform surgery? If you look at all the advancements that have been made in your lifetime alone, it might be wise not to bet against her. Just a handful of years ago, May, 2006, a robotic system that is now known as, “the first artificial intelligence doctor, ” performed a surgery, under its own control, on a guy in his mid 30’s who had a case of heart arrythmia.
The surgery was rated to have a better outcome than most human surgeons. The designer said that due to the database of ten thousand similar surgeries it had to learn from, it was more than prepared for the job. Indeed, the designer predicts that within the next ten to fifteen years, half of surgeries will be done by unassisted robots.
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