Robotic surgeries go “all in”

Continual improvements made to surgical robots have impacted the medical field as of late and seem to be more common in operating rooms around the country. And, as technology continues to advance, the positive impact due to some of the newly created machines would impress even iRobot movie Detective Del Spooner.

Chesapeake Regional Hospital is striving to keep up with this latest technology by being the first hospital in the Hampton Roads area to purchase and implement the da Vinci Robot, a massive, spider-like contraption that occupies half of one of the larger operating rooms.

The da Vinci Robot, named honor of famed inventor Leonardo da Vinci, includes a console, a 3D camera system, and four robotic arms for the surgeon to use when operating. The da Vince is not a conventional robot programed to move on its own, but is maneuvered by a surgeon at the console. The Robot is frequently used for Gynecological surgery, but is also available for use in Cardiac, Colorectal, General, Head and Neck, and Thoracic surgeries, as well as in Urology.

Dr. Christian Perez was the first physician at the Chesapeake Regional Hospital to use the da Vinci Robot and believes that one its most impressive features is its minimally invasive approach to surgery both now and in the future.

“The da Vinci Surgical System will revolutionize the way that surgery is performed in the future. Procedures are cleaner and more effective for the patient, the surgeon, and the hospital as a whole,” Perez said. “The system has created a greater range of motion for surgeons and allows us to reach smaller crevices that often would be unlikely had it not been for the small instruments provided by the robot.”

An ordinary surgery that may normally involve a large incision of three to six inches, can now be performed by the Robot using up to or less than four, one to two centimeter incisions. This new approach allows patients a faster recovery time, and allows the surgeon to focus on a smaller portion of opened flesh, only big enough to fit the robotic arm.

According to Perez, the effectiveness of the Robot as a whole is revolutionary for hospitals as well, as there are fewer complications, fewer reduced risks of trauma, and shorter patient stays which save hospitals an enormous amount of money. Furthermore, with the advent of these advanced surgeries, patients are flocking to hospitals that offer the robots for the benefits that they provide.

A surgeon typically has a team of three to four assistants helping him throughout the surgery to make sure that the patient is responding well and to assist instrument changes and camera movement within the robot.

Surgical Assistant Sheila Bentley attests to the positive impacts the Robot has made on their lives and on the lives of the patients.

“Our mission is to protect the patients’ safety and privacy. The robot and the procedure could not be safer for any of the parties involved,” Bentley said.

Head Surgical Assistant Ro Keeling generally interacts directly with the surgeon inside the surgery area, works with Perez regularly, and knows firsthand the benefits that the da Vinci Robot provides.

“The robot has changed the lives of virtually all people it has been in contact with. It is clear that a future without a robot in every hospital is a future wasted,” Keeling said.