What are the advantages of robotic surgeries and why it is the future

Surgeries carried out with the help of robotics systems are called robot-assisted surgery or robotic surgery. This is relatively a new revolution in the field of medicine. These surgical robots used are computer-controlled, self-powered devices. They are programmed in a way to help the doctors with the positioning and manipulation of surgical instruments which in turn helps the surgeons to carry out complex tasks. Robotics helps in achieving more precision, flexibility and control on these complex tasks compared to the conventional techniques. Robotic surgeries are also minimally invasive and are done with tiny incisions.

The adaptation of robotics to the medical field has helped in several ways. Below are a few advantages of robotic surgeries. 

• Offers better view thus helps the doctor in making better decisions with clarity
• Helps in performing delicate and complex procedures
• Minimally invasive, lesser pain compared to conventional methods 
• Less tissue damage, thus faster recovery
• Very low chances of infections
• Minimal blood loss
• Scars are less visible compared to traditional surgeries.
• High precision and fewer complications 
• Need not stay at hospitals for a longer period.

Robotic surgeries are not advised to all kinds of patients and diseases. The most common fields in medicine dealt with robotic surgery systems are cardiology, urology, endocrinology, gynecology, otolaryngology, general medicine etc. However, it is best advised to discuss the possibilities and risks involved with robotic surgery prior to the decision as it is not an option for everyone.

Robotic surgery is a broad field that holds a lot of possibilities in the future. The most foreseen developments in the field of robotic surgery are tele-medicine and long-distance operations. A robot controlled by a doctor from one surgical centre will be able to operate a patient from another city, state or even continent in another surgical centre with the help of a robotic surgery system. Although this is an already proven and successfully performed surgical operation, with the internet becoming faster and bandwidths becoming cheaper, this would be an easier and widely used procedure in the near future. Another futuristic possibility of robotics surgery is a single-incision port. This means a doctor will be able to make a single, small incision through which the snake-like arms of a robot will be inserted and surgeries will be performed. Currently, multiple small incisions are made for this procedure. 

The constant growth in artificial intelligence and medicine assure a wide scale implementation of robotic surgeries and surgical centres for the same in the near future. The medical procedures that bring high success rates with least pain and side effects have always found a way to excel in the field of medical science. In case of robotic surgery, it has already been proven and all it demands is an advancement of technology.

At Specialist Hospital, Bangalore is proud to be the first private hospital in the State to offer robotic orthopaedic procedures for patients requiring a partial and total knee replacement or total hip replacement, by making use of Navio Systems @ Specialist.