Assisting in the OR today, Dr. Robot
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 12:31 AM PDT
By Lindsay Minnema
The Washington Post
Printable version
E-mail this articleThe future is now at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where nurse Charlene Amato-Geib observes a demonstration of the da Vinci Surgical Robot.
A surgeon, seated a few feet away, guides the robot to perform laparoscopic surgery — a minimally invasive surgery involving a small camera-tipped probe. The robot, developed by Intuitive Surgical Inc., uses as many as four arms to hold instruments. Surgeons watch the procedure through a monitor that shows high-definition, three-dimensional images of the patient.
“This is nothing more than an extension and an assistant in our surgery,” said Eugene Scioscia Jr., chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Allegheny General. “But what it does in its assistance is magnificent.”
Scioscia said the robot has more flexibility than the normal human wrist, can make smaller incisions and isn’t subject to tremors that might affect surgeons’ hands. Then there’s the three-dimensional image.
“It gives you depth perception,” Scioscia said. “Imagine doing something as intricate as surgery without depth perception. You’re compromised.”
Scalpel!
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