Robotics in the Medical Field
According to the da Vinci Surgery website, 1.5 million surgeries have been completed using the da Vinci System (a commonly used robotic machine in surgery) since 2000 (da Vinci Surgery). Robotics is becoming more prevalent in the medical field, and the use of robotics is yet another way that our medical care is evolving in surgery. The introduction of surgical robots provides benefits for patients, doctors, and hospitals, and advances the current way of medical procedures.
The da Vinci System
The da Vinci system is one of the few robots used to assist a surgeon during an operation. The da Vinci has multiple arms hooked up to a HD video screen, it allows for greater precision and accuracy of the …show more content…
Patients are generally accepting of robotic assistance in surgery, the only issues that are seen relate to the facelessness and trustworthiness of the robot; combined with concern over the function of a robot in surgery. A patient often wonders if a complication occurs, if it will be at the fault of a robot or the surgeon (Bhatia). The ETHICBOTS European Project stated, “In case there is a conflict between what the surgeon wants to do, and the safety constraints built into the robot, the surgeon can always override the constraints and force the robot to comply” (Bhatia). Because of the smaller incisions during surgery, there is minimal blood loss, which reduces the risk of infection and less need of post-surgery pain medicine. All of these benefits allow the patient to heal faster and thus having a reduced hospital stay, which can even reduce the hospital bill (Pinkerton). On average, patients who have undergone open heart surgery with the da Vinci have left the hospital 2 to 5 days sooner than patients who have undergone traditional open heart surgery, and can return to work and normal activity 50% sooner (The Pros and Cons of Robotic Surgery). Another benefit of the da Vinci has been smaller scars. According to John Bello, a 49 year-old man who underwent surgery to remove his cancerous prostate, “Unless I see the scars… I don’t even think about it” …show more content…
According to Michael Matson, an analyst with Mizuho Securities USA in New York, in a telephone interview, “Part of what’s driven this market is people seeking out robotic surgery; hospitals market it and the patients think its better” (Langreth). Businesses, hospitals and companies, are always in competition with each other to see who can receive the most profits, and the bigger paycheck. Hospitals promote this machinery because of the benefits that it can provide for the patients. These benefits include minimal blood loss, reduced risk of infection, less postoperative pain medication, and smaller scars due to the precision of the machinery. Unfortunately, the downside is the cost, which is between 1 million and 2.3 million dollars (The Pros and Cons of Robotic Surgery). In spite of that, the robot still has maximum potential. In fact, “the da Vinci system is the only surgical robot with over a thousand systems installed worldwide.” (Beasley, Texas A&M). Although the cost is high for the installation of these machines, the amount of patients that seek surgeries with the machinery, help to repay the hospital by bringing in more revenue. However, an issue with these high costs is that not all hospitals can afford this machinery. In Indiana, only 14% of hospitals have surgical robots, though they are
According to the da Vinci Surgery website, 1.5 million surgeries have been completed using the da Vinci System (a commonly used robotic machine in surgery) since 2000 (da Vinci Surgery). Robotics is becoming more prevalent in the medical field, and the use of robotics is yet another way that our medical care is evolving in surgery. The introduction of surgical robots provides benefits for patients, doctors, and hospitals, and advances the current way of medical procedures.
The da Vinci System
The da Vinci system is one of the few robots used to assist a surgeon during an operation. The da Vinci has multiple arms hooked up to a HD video screen, it allows for greater precision and accuracy of the …show more content…
Patients are generally accepting of robotic assistance in surgery, the only issues that are seen relate to the facelessness and trustworthiness of the robot; combined with concern over the function of a robot in surgery. A patient often wonders if a complication occurs, if it will be at the fault of a robot or the surgeon (Bhatia). The ETHICBOTS European Project stated, “In case there is a conflict between what the surgeon wants to do, and the safety constraints built into the robot, the surgeon can always override the constraints and force the robot to comply” (Bhatia). Because of the smaller incisions during surgery, there is minimal blood loss, which reduces the risk of infection and less need of post-surgery pain medicine. All of these benefits allow the patient to heal faster and thus having a reduced hospital stay, which can even reduce the hospital bill (Pinkerton). On average, patients who have undergone open heart surgery with the da Vinci have left the hospital 2 to 5 days sooner than patients who have undergone traditional open heart surgery, and can return to work and normal activity 50% sooner (The Pros and Cons of Robotic Surgery). Another benefit of the da Vinci has been smaller scars. According to John Bello, a 49 year-old man who underwent surgery to remove his cancerous prostate, “Unless I see the scars… I don’t even think about it” …show more content…
According to Michael Matson, an analyst with Mizuho Securities USA in New York, in a telephone interview, “Part of what’s driven this market is people seeking out robotic surgery; hospitals market it and the patients think its better” (Langreth). Businesses, hospitals and companies, are always in competition with each other to see who can receive the most profits, and the bigger paycheck. Hospitals promote this machinery because of the benefits that it can provide for the patients. These benefits include minimal blood loss, reduced risk of infection, less postoperative pain medication, and smaller scars due to the precision of the machinery. Unfortunately, the downside is the cost, which is between 1 million and 2.3 million dollars (The Pros and Cons of Robotic Surgery). In spite of that, the robot still has maximum potential. In fact, “the da Vinci system is the only surgical robot with over a thousand systems installed worldwide.” (Beasley, Texas A&M). Although the cost is high for the installation of these machines, the amount of patients that seek surgeries with the machinery, help to repay the hospital by bringing in more revenue. However, an issue with these high costs is that not all hospitals can afford this machinery. In Indiana, only 14% of hospitals have surgical robots, though they are