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Will a surgeon using the da Vinci surgical system operate in "virtual reality"? |
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Although seated at a console a few feet away from the patient, the surgeon views a high-resolution and enhanced 3-D image of the surgical field while operating. This occurs in real time through the use of electro-mechanically enhanced instruments. At no time does the surgeon see a virtual image or program/command the system to perform any maneuver or operate outside of his/her direct, real-time control. |
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Will the da Vinci surgical system make the surgeon unnecessary? |
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On the contrary, it is designed to enable your surgeon to be more precise, use more advanced techniques, and better perform complex minimally invasive surgery. The system replicates the surgeon's movements in real time. It cannot be programmed, nor can it move in any way or perform any type of surgical maneuver without the surgeon's command. |
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Is this telesurgery? Can you operate over long distances? |
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The da Vinci surgical system could theoretically be used to operate over long distances, although the current hardware does not make this possible at present. Long-distance capability is not the primary focus of the current da Vinci surgical system. |
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What is robotic surgery as opposed to computer-enhanced surgery? |
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Robotic surgery devices are designed to perform entirely independent movements after being programmed by a surgeon. In contrast, the da Vinci surgical system is a robotic-assisted surgical system, which interposes a computer between the surgeon's hands and the tips of micro-instruments. The system replicates the surgeon's movements in real time. It cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own to move in any way or perform any type of surgical maneuver. Sometimes, the general term "robotic surgery" is used to refer to this technology. |
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Where is the da Vinci surgical system being used now? |
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Although UPH Hospital at Kino Campus was the first in Southern Arizona, the da Vinci surgical system is being used in major centers in the United States, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Tens of thousands of procedures have been done with remarkable results. |
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What procedures have been performed using the da Vinci surgical system? What additional procedures are possible? |
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Currently University Physicians Hospital is performing radical prostatectomies, Nissen fundoplications, myomectomies, hysterectomies and pelvic reconstruction using the da Vinci surgical system. But this platform is designed to enable complex procedures of all types. In the future, the technology may be used by surgeons specializing in vascular, cardiac, orthopedic, spinal, neurologic and other surgical disciplines. |
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What are the benefits of using the da Vinci surgical system over more traditional methods of surgery? |
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Some of the major benefits experienced by surgeons using the da Vinci surgical system compared to traditional minimally invasive surgery have been greater surgical precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, enhanced 3-D visualization and improved access. Benefits experienced by patients undergoing robotic-assisted surgery over open surgery may include shorter hospital stays, less pain, less risk of infection, less blood loss and need for transfusion, less scarring and faster recovery and return to normal daily activities. None of these benefits can be guaranteed, as an individual's response to surgery is both patient- and procedure-specific. |
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Has the da Vinci surgical system been FDA approved? |
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The da Vinci surgical system has been cleared by the FDA for use in general laparoscopic surgical procedures, general non-cardiovascular thoracoscopic surgical procedures and thoracoscopically assisted cardiotomy surgical procedures. |