Friday, 22 July 2016

Important Information On Robotic Surgery Houston Residents Should Understand

By Debra Butler


Robotic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique that allows the surgeon to work with the help of a special robot. The robot is attached to surgical instruments and acts like an extension of the hands of the surgeon. It is important to mention that the robot does not conduct the operation unaided contrary to common belief. If they plan on having robotic surgery Houston patients need to know a number of things beforehand.

One needs to do several things as part of the preparation process before they undergo the procedure. Many of them are similar to the requirements for other operations. Such may include, for instance, the determination of platelet and hemoglobin as a means of assessing the risk of bleeding. If one is on drugs that may increase the risk of blood loss, they will be asked to stop them ten days before the day of the operation.

The first thing that is done when you get to the operating room is to receive the anesthesia. This may be regional or general depending on the medical condition. The next thing is the creation of three small incisions over your tummy. These three are used for the placement of equipment. The surgeon makes his way to a computer station from where they conduct the rest of the operation. An endoscope connected to a monitor guides them through the process.

The robotic equipment has been developed in a manner that facilitates the projection of 3-D images. This creates a scenario that is almost similar to what would be experienced if the surgeon was conducting an open surgical operation. If you are anesthetized only at the spinal level then you may witness the operation from a screen (you may need to put in a request for this). The robot transmits hand movements to the surgical instruments.

There are numerous indications for robot assisted surgeries. They include cardiovascular operations such as coronary artery bypass and mitral valve repair. Others include hernia repair, reduction of tumor masses, hysterectomy, tubal ligation and prostatectomy among others. It is important to note that the method is not effective in the management of very complex operations especially those in which manual manipulation may be needed.

A number of advantages are associated with this type of technique. The level of precision that can be achieved here is a lot more than what is seen with the open procedure as well as conventional laparoscopy. The great precision greatly reduces the risk of injury to internal organs. It also makes it possible to operate in very small spaces. The level of fatigue lower with the robotic option.

There are a number of factors that may contribute to the low uptake of this technique by hospitals as well as individual surgeons. One of the biggest hindrances is inaccessibility of the equipment. The robots are only available in select hospitals. The other challenge is the lack of adequate skills among surgeons. Some of these surgeons would prefer sticking with techniques that they are familiar with.

There is a risk of complications but this is a lot lower than that associated with the other techniques. The possible complications that may ensue include reactions to the anesthetic medications, bleeding from the surgical site and infections. In some situations, the surgery may be challenging leading to the use of alternative methods. Adequate pre-operative preparation will help reduce the risk of these complications.




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