How Does Robotic Surgery Work?

Transcript

With robotic surgery, oftentimes patients ask me if the robot is actually performing the surgery. And that’s not the case. The robot is merely a tool that we are using to help us with the surgery. It’s an extension of our own hands into your abdomen to make smaller incisions and to actually dissect with.

It’s also a magnified vision, so I can actually see better with the robotic camera than a laparoscopic camera and maneuver better when dissecting out the lymph nodes or the arteries, or even dissecting the colon or rectum.

With robotic surgery I am not actually at the bedside. I’m actually at a console when performing the surgery or when your surgeon’s performing the surgery, but they have full control of what’s going on with the robot.

Key Takeaways

1. With robotic surgery, the robot is merely a tool that surgeons use to help with the surgery.

2. It’s an extension of their own hands into your abdomen to make smaller incisions and to actually dissect with.

3. It’s also a magnified vision, so surgeons can actually see better with the robotic camera than a laparoscopic camera and maneuver better when dissecting out the lymph nodes or the arteries.

4. With robotic surgery, the surgeon is not actually at the bedside but at a console with full control of what’s going on with the robot.