Question

present a plan for demonstration or testing robotic surgery in the hospital

Answer 1

Robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery, allows doctors to perform many types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques. Robotic surgery is usually associated with minimally invasive surgery — procedures performed through tiny incisions.

Medical robotics has been successfully developed and applied in orthopaedic surgery and other surgical fields

Such surgery-assisting technology is appreciated by surgeons as it provides accurate geometrical positioning and exact predefined exerting forces that grant more precise surgical therapy to patients.

In orthopaedic surgery, there is demand for a surgical tool that can be manipulated accurately and stably to the expected position/orientation on a target, e.g., to target on bone during bone resection.

OBJECTIVE

Surgical technology has advanced rapidly with the introduction of robot technology. Apart from mechanical and electronic elements, housing design is an essential component that must be thoughtfully considered, bearing in mind the general requirements for medical devices used in operating theatres.

The aim of this study was to design a modern and safe housing for a surgical robotic system for orthopaedic applications in Hong Kong that would meet the general requirements for obtaining local regulatory body approval.

Robotics is the engineering science and technology of robots, their design, manufacturing, and applications. It is related to electronics, mechanics, and software.

Robotics in surgery

Robotics in medicine is a fairly new, yet advancing field. It is now introduced in medicine, in the field of surgery as it allows for exceptional control and precision of surgical devices in minimally invasive procedures. Robotic surgery has as its main goal to design robots that will be able to be used in performing closed-chest, beating-heart surgery in collaboration with the surgeons.

Robotic Surgery Systems

Robotic surgery systems are divided into three types: supervisory-controlled systems, shared-control systems and telesurgical systems. These systems differ in the sense that in each case there is a different degree of involvement of the surgeon. In some cases, the operation is carried out by the robotic system with a minimal intervention of the doctor.

Future

Robotic surgery has made quite a progress and development but it still has a long way to go. Many obstacles will be dealt with time and undoubtedly some new concerns may appear. Questions such as malpractice liability, credentialing, training requirements and license granting will have to be resolved in the future.

METHOD

Based on the general requirements for Class II Medical Devices, industrial product designers worked in close collaboration with a robot research team formed by engineers and orthopaedic surgeons to design a modern and safe housing for the HybriDot Surgical Robotic System that performs computer-assisted surgery.

RESULT

The design received local regulatory body approval for its application in operating theatres and was approved for orthopaedic surgery in Hong Kong after fulfilling the general requirements for safety, accuracy, movability and operability

Conclusion

Robotic surgery may be at an early stage, but that does not mean that it has not demonstrated its potential and significance, particularly in areas previously inaccessible by traditional procedures. However, it still remains to be seen if robotic surgery will replace completely conventional instruments in less technically demanding procedures.

ABOUT THE ROBOTIC SURGERY

Robotic surgery may be used for a number of different procedures, including:

1. Coronary artery bypass.

2. Cutting away cancer tissue from sensitive parts of the body such as blood vessels, nerves, or important body organs.

3. Gallbladder removal.

4. Hip replacement.

5. Hysterectomy.

6. Total or partial kidney removal.

7.Kidney transplant.

the potential risks and complications of robotic surgery

1. bleeding or the need for transfusion.

2. risk of infections.

3. temporary nerve or intra-abdominal organ injuries.

4. breathing problems.

5. stroke, heart attack.

6. blood clots in the legs or reactions to medications.

Advantages

The advantages of robotic surgery are listed below:

1. Faster recovery

2. Shorter hospital stay and reduced costs

3. Less pain and fear

4. Less blood loss

5. Cosmetic benefit

6. Reduced risk of infection or complications

7. Less anesthesia required

2. Better sterilization

3. Robot immune to radiation and infections.

4. No muscle tremor or fatigue.

5. Elimination of need for personnel resulting in lower costs for the hospitals.

6. A 3D camera provides an enhanced view.

7. Robots reach places that surgeons alone couldn’t before.

8. Can be designed for a wide range of scales.

Limitations

However some of its disadvantages and concerns are:

1. Robotic systems have highly complex software and it is very difficult to program and debug them.

2. Costs including the robotic systems ($750.000-$1 million), the maintenance and the training of surgeons are considerably high.

3. Since the need of personnel will be minimized, some surgeons will be left unemployed.

4. Telesurgery is based by a large percentage on the transmission of information between two locations. The more the distance between the two locations the more the time delay is inserted. This increased the period between the action and the result and after a certain point this makes surgery impossible in real time.

5. Synchronization during telesurgery is very critical and is not easy to attain.

6. Telesurgery is highly dependent on the security and reliability of the network.