Da Vinci Surgical System

For over a century, hospitals have employed human beings to perform a variety of invasive and high-risk surgeries. Humans have been the ones standing up for hours on end, carefully guiding the scalpel and suturing. However, nearly a decade ago a new method was approved and implemented, called the da Vinci Surgical System, which is revolutionizing the way surgeries are performed by using robots.
This widely used robotic surgical system includes mechanical arms with surgical instruments attached, as well as a camera arm. Seated near the operating table, the surgeon controls the arms with a computer console, similar to those used in video games. As the surgeon looks through the high definition monitor, giving him a more detailed view of the surgical site compared to what the human eye can give, the surgeon can then utilize all four arms of the da Vinci using the master control (NYU Langone Health).
There are many advantages to this approach of robotic surgery, which is a type of
In one case, the urologist of a 66 year old man, diagnosed with prostate cancer, recommended a prostatectomy, the removal of the prostate. The urologist explained that minimally invasive robotic surgery “would allow for smaller incisions, better control of the instruments, [and] lower risk of complications” (Patient Safety Network). Despite the fact that there were mechanical problems in the robotic arms, the urologist continued using this technology until the procedure was complete. Even though the procedure twice as long, the urologist felt as though it was successful. However, postoperatively, the patient had to be taken back to the operating room where it was discovered that his inferior epigastric artery, an important artery in the pelvis, had been damaged. The patient had to endure a second operation to damage from the first surgery, as well as numerous additional surgeries, resulting in a longer hospital