Advantages of Robotic Surgery
Dr. Obianwu is fully trained in the daVinci® System that is available at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and he extols its virtues. He has been doing minimally invasive procedures for two decades, using laparoscopic surgical approaches that reduce recovery time, pain and bleeding.
But the robotic system provides the surgeon with amazing new abilities to visualize, manipulate and remove or repair organs and tissue, he said.
In the system, the surgeon sits at a console close by the patient, with his or her hands in glove-like devices that transform hand movements to the robotic instrument inside the patient. Hand movements are converted to a micro-scale and the system overrides gross accidental movements (hands jerked by a sneeze or bump, for example) so the robotic instrument does not accept such motion.
"The robotic system's number one difference from the conventional laparoscopic surgical tool is that you have better visualization and precision," said Dr. Obianwu. "I am looking at a 3-dimensional image on a high-definition screen in front of me instead of a 2-dimensional screen showing the laparoscopic image."
"And very important is the added dexterity and ergonomics of the robotic tool, , providing even more freedom from the limited movements of the human hand." (See this demonstration of the robotic tool creating an origami piece of art.)
Dr. Obianwu said that while the laparoscopic surgical tool permits surgery through small incisions, the surgeon does have to keep turning and twisting the tool and even moving the patient to perform the procedure.
"The constant movement with the laparoscope causes pain at the site of the incision," he said. "With the robot, once you put the tool into the port, there is less movement at the site, which produces less pain. With the robotic tool there is less movement on the incision."
"There also is less blood loss. Sometimes when I do a hysterectomy, the patient loses less than an ounce of blood, which makes it an almost bloodless procedure."
Dr. Obianwu said he has previewed the upcoming next generation of the robotic system. The improvements will include a single port and a tool with more flexibility inside the surgical site (the current tool has a rigid arm) and robots with laser capability.
To find a Lourdes physician who performs these procedures, visit "Find a Physician." Or, call 1-888-LOURDES (568-7337).
