Da Vinci

How is da Vinci Robot used?

The da Vinci Robot Surgical System is an advanced robotic platform designed to expand the surgeon’s capabilities and offer an option to open surgery. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the da Vinci Robot Surgical System in 2000. Thousands of surgeons around the world have been trained on da Vinci Robot systems and have completed more than 7 million surgical procedures using da Vinci Robot surgical systems.

There are three main integrated sub-systems of the da Vinci Robot Surgical System which include the surgeon console, the patient-side cart and the electronic cart.

The Surgeon Console makes the surgeon can see the surgical field and control the movement of the endoscopic instruments and the endoscope (the device that allows viewing of the patient’s internal organs and cavities).

Patient Side Cart with mechanical arms that support the endoscopic instrument and camera during surgery.

The Electronic Car is a part of the system that contains the supporting hardware. Elements of this equipment are the electric surgical unit (ESU), suction/irrigation pumps, insufflator, and light source for the endoscope.

The da Vinci Robot System’s ergonomic design allows the surgeon to operate from a comfortable, seated position at the console, with eyes and hands positioned in line with the instruments. The surgeon can move the instruments or the camera as he/she wishes, with the commands he/she gives with his/her hands.

The da Vinci Robot vision system delivers 3D high-definition views, giving surgeon a crystal clear view of the surgical area that is magnified 10 times to what the human eye sees.

By providing surgeons with superior vision, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort, the da Vinci Robot Surgical System makes it possible for more surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures involving complex and delicate dissection or reconstruction.

What surgeries can the Da Vinci robot perform?

Surgical experts say that in some surgeries, they can maneuver more easily in tighter spaces and achieve a higher degree of movement by using da Vinci robotic hands compared to their own hands. They report being more successful than others in certain surgeries, especially colorectal (bowel or colon), head or neck, and heart valve. Although open heart surgery is still an ongoing treatment, surgeons now prefer to use more minimally invasive approaches.

For coronary artery bypass surgery, one of two minimally invasive surgical approaches is robotic-assisted surgery with da Vinci Robot. It requires only a few small incisions that doctors use to insert surgical equipment and a camera for viewing. In thoracoscopic heart surgery, doctors use special tools to perform surgery by watching the images they enlarge with a thoracoscopic (camera) on a video screen. For mitral valve repair, da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery can also be used.

Surgeons perform many colorectal, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and intestines procedures using minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery by da Vinci Robot technology instead of made large incisions in skin and muscle.

Transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) also requires no incisions but uses robotic technology such as da Vinci Robot to perform surgery  including cancers of the mouth, soft palate, tonsils and noncancerous conditions related to the back of the mouth, tongue, throat.

Surgeons can perform many procedures using minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic or da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery, including cancer found in any area of the chest, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), lung diseases such as benign tumors, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hernias in this region, trauma-related injuries, and others.

The da Vinci Robot Surgical System can be used for gynecologic conditions such as severe pelvic pain, endometriosis, fibroids, abnormal bleeding, pelvic organ prolapse, and cancer.

What is the average time it takes to perform a da Vinci robotic hysterectomy?

The da Vinci robotic Hysterectomy provides a high-power 3D view of the operating field. With da Vinci Robotic Hysterectomy, which enables more precise movements of the human hand, surgical instruments are allowed to be used from difficult angles and positions.

The da Vinci robotic Hysterectomy offers numerous potential benefits over traditional approaches to vaginal, laparoscopic or open abdominal hysterectomy, particularly when performing more challenging procedures like radical hysterectomy for gynecologic cancer.

The da Vinci robotic Hysterectomy usually takes 1-3 hours under general anesthesia. (Depending upon the surgeon and the complexity of the case) Patients are hospitalized for at least one night so physicians can monitor their healing progress. Most patients return to their daily life within a week or ten days.

For complex hysterectomies and other gynecological procedures, the da Vinci robot-assisted surgery may be the most effective, least invasive treatment option. Through tiny, 1-2 cm incisions, surgeons using the da Vinci Robot System can operate with greater precision and control, minimizing the pain and risk associated with large incisions while Increases the likelihood of rapid treatment and excellent responses. The benefits of The da Vinci robotic Hysterectomy include less blood loss during surgery, smaller incisions that cause less scarring, less post-operative pain, reduced risk of infection, shorter hospital stay, quick treatment and faster return to normal life.