Robotic Surgery: Is it the Future?

By Arya Bhatt

Robots. Immediately an image springs to mind of a self-automated “being” that completes actions that have been pre-programmed by a human. Most people perceive robots to be incredible machines with fantastic capabilities now and for the future. But what are its implications in surgery and is it the future?

In 1985, one of the first surgical robots was utilised as a needle was inserted into the brain for biopsy via computer tomography. One of the great advantages from this was to reduce the error of a surgeon’s hand tremors during the needle placement. 

In more recent times, the Da Vinci surgical robot, coming at a hefty price tag of $2 million, is more widely used today. One of the great benefits of this machine is that it allows the surgeon to perform an operation with a great deal of manual dexterity, as if they were doing it themselves. The robot primarily consists of 4 arms to enter the patient and the ends include laparoscopes (cameras) for the surgeon to see through. As well as this, multiple instruments on the ends mimic the human wrists.  

Even in the field of dentistry, there have been ingenious advancements in robotic surgery. Recently in China, a robot completely carried out a dental implant using 3D printed teeth without human interaction. This procedure avoids the mistakes humans may make during the operation and makes the final result of a higher quality.

So, as you can see, there are wide array of surgical robots that exist already in today’s society. So, is it the future? Foremost, one has to consider the numerous advantages that arise whilst using such a highly complex apparatus. In medical surgery, one of the largest benefits is that smaller incisions are created for highly complex surgeries rather than open-surgery having to be performed. Not only does it reduce the likelihood of complications such as infection due to reduced exposure to the air, patient recovery times are drastically reduced and patients can return to normal life relatively quickly with just a small scar. Furthermore, a surgeon’s job becomes much easier as hard-to-reach places in terms of visibility and manoeuvrability are easily accessed and a surgery can be performed much more efficiently and delicately. Similarly, in dental surgery, as seen in the previous example, the accuracy of such procedures is exceptional with such technology, leaving the patient more satisfied with the end result.

However, as with such advanced technology, there are some disadvantages. First is the high costs it incurs. Even though Da Vinci robots are being utilised in the NHS and a vast number of people are being benefitted, there are arguments to whether that money could be used to develop another area of NHS healthcare. Instead, standard laparoscopic surgeries could still take place. Also, the surgeon carrying out a procedure remotely requires great manual dexterity. 

In addition, an ethical question arises: “Will robots take over surgeons?” The short answer is No. Despite the great dexterity with which robots can act, the human body is an extremely complex system and a robot completing a whole procedure autonomously would be impossible. Even when surgical robots become highly advanced, they will still have to be controlled under a skilled surgeon’s hands. On the other hand, as already seen in China, dental procedures are already taking place without input from a skilled surgeon. Nevertheless, supervised procedures will always have to take place.

In relation to this, some people believe that robotic surgery is unsafe as the robot may complete a wrong manoeuvre and risk a large complication. But in reality, the whole procedure is under a surgeon’s control; it’s just that the surgeon is not directly operating with their own hands but with a few buttons and sticks behind a screen. This is why it has been discussed that the term “robotic surgery” should be replaced with “robotically assisted surgery” to avoid misleading perceptions.

So overall, what does this mean? Robotic surgery in medicine and dentistry are rising technologies and have exceptional benefits: their usage is only set to increase. At the same time, many surgeries are not able to be done with robotic assistance due to the nature of their complexity. Finally, the likelihood of robots “taking over surgeons” is extremely unlikely, but we can expect great improvements in surgical and dental procedures with the assistance of robots.

Sources:

The Da Vinci Surgical Robot - https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/products-and-services/da-vinci/systems 

Lloyd, D. (2011). Robots don't perform surgery, surgeons do. BMJ, (online), Volume: 343, p.p908.

https://www.britannica.com/science/robotic-surgery 

Miyanger, V., 2019. Robot dentist in China is first to fit implants in patient without any human involvement - Dentistry.co.uk. (online) dentistry.co.uk. Available at: https://dentistry.co.uk/2019/04/26/robot-dentist-china-first-fit-implants-patient-without-human-involvement 

Moore, E., 2015. Robotic surgery | medical technology. (online) Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/robotic-surgery