Robotic Hysterectomy Paper

The da Vinci robotic system has proven to provide positive short term post surgery results. Asante Medical Center has recorded several first-hand accounts of patients who had undergone da Vinci robotic surgery. Martha Kelly, one of the patients who underwent the da Vinci, had severe endometriosis, a disorder that traps excess menstrual blood, causing it to excessively build up. This issue would leave Kelly paralyzed once a month, resorting her to take 40 ibuprofen tablets per day to mitigate her pain. The da Vinci allowed for her gynecologic surgeon, Dr. Nicholas Mills, to “excise lesions and maximize the treatment with minimal incisions.” Only one day after the surgery, Kelly no longer required the tablets and was back to work in three days. Another week later, she was back to her rigorous schedule that involved numerous strenuous exercises (Patient Experiences).
Despite the positive reports regarding robotic technology, it cannot be used as a complete replacement of traditional surgery. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologist in March 2013 held a press conference concerning robotic hysterectomy, “There is no good data proving that it is even as good as – let alone better – than existing minimally invasive alternatives” (Andrews). Current studies show that there is no significant difference between traditional laparoscopic methods and robotic-assisted surgeries in terms of procedure. Robotic surgery has simply dramatically decreased recovery time and pain post-surgery. Important factors such as blood transfusion rates and complications throughout the surgery are not minimized (Andrews). In fact, they may have been