Of late, surgical robots have started helping doctors perform critical surgeries. Robotic surgeries enable surgeons to be extremely precise, even during complex procedures. Gone are the days of creating larger incisions with open surgeries, as robotic surgery only requires incisions the size of a dime. Ever since its inception, this surgical method has been utilized for operations such as partial knee replacement surgery or total knee replacement surgery.
What is Robotic Surgery?
As the name suggests, robotic surgery makes use of robotic arms to assist surgeons in surgical procedures. During the surgery, three or four robotic arms are inserted into the patient’s body through small incisions. One robotic arm has a camera attached at the end to view the internal organs. Two arms of the robot act as the hands of the surgeon. The fourth arm is used to remove blockages that may be impeding normal functioning. The surgeon controls all of these four arms through a console.
The unique characteristic about this surgical technique is that it is minimally invasive yet gives real-time data of the internal organs through the camera. Given their immense advantages over general surgeries, robot-assisted surgeries have become a preferred choice for critical operational procedures.
What are the Advantages of Robotic Surgeries?
The advantages of robotic surgery include:
- Minimally Invasive
As surgeons do not require to access the patient’s body with their hands directly, the incisions are minuscule compared to traditional surgical methods. More often than not, surgeons also experience tremors in their hands while performing exhaustive surgeries. However, robotic arms mitigate human-hand tremors and reduce the chances of inadvertent punctures that may lead to bleeding or infections.
Robotic surgery is a brilliant option for patients requiring surgeries in hard-to-reach areas of the body. Moreover, when major blood vessels and vital organs are present in the immediate vicinity, surgeries become more complicated and can require larger incisions. However, robotic surgery simplifies the entire procedure through accurate and small incisions.
- Faster Recovery
As robotic surgery is minimally invasive, the body also takes less time to recover when compared to conventional surgery.
The healing time after any surgery, especially a conventional one largely depends on the patient’s body type and the nature of the surgery. However, with robotic surgery, many patients can heal in less time and resume their daily activities, such as begin reporting for work.
Given the shorter recovery time, assisted costs such as inpatient hospital stays also get reduced. As smaller incisions lessen the degree of trauma, the scarring is also insignificant.
- Lesser Blood Loss and Pain
With smaller incisions, the pain during surgery also gets reduced. This lowers the intake of painkillers after the procedure.
Moreover, the chances of blood loss are high with traditional surgical methods. In contrast, the minimally invasive technique deployed in robotic surgery reduces the chances of blood loss and the need for blood transfusion.
- Lower Chances of Infection
The risk of infection with any surgical procedure is high. This, in turn, also delays recovery and increases hospital stays. When large parts of the body are exposed to long incisions, the risk of infection is usually much higher. With robotic surgery, however, the risks, rate of infection, and complications get drastically reduced.
- Greater Visualisation and Precision
The robotic imaging and navigation technology provides enhanced visualization and greater accuracy. The surgical software installed in the robotic console helps surgeons to view the internal body structure in high-resolution and 3D imaging. The camera attached at the end of one arm delivers real-time images on the screen. This enables the surgeon to perform even complicated procedures with greater precision.
- Better Patient Outcomes
Gone are the days of struggling after a traditional open surgery when a robotic surgery can provide better tolerability, reduced pain and discomfort, faster recovery time, and eventually, better patient outcomes. Robotic methods make critical surgeries such as total knee replacement surgery easier and highly accurate. After the surgery, patients can carry out normal activities within a few weeks and with greater mobility too.
Conclusion
Robotic surgery allows surgeons to perform critical surgical tasks through smaller incisions. Surgical robots are computer-controlled devices that act as surgeons’ hands and help in positioning surgical instruments into the body. This guarantees better accuracy, flexibility, and control. Complicated conventional surgical procedures are no longer a fret now with the advent of robotic surgery, which ensures quicker recovery and healing.