Surgery is changing (literally)

Humans are not flawless. Our movements are not the most precise, and for those movements we may have to pay the price. In surgery, focus and accuracy are of utmost importance. However, that focus and accuracy isn’t guaranteed. Mistakes are normal for us, but when at the cost of lives, there may be a better way.

In surgery, a small error can cost a life-long side effect or may be fatal. To yield more accurate results and to achieve the most accuracy, we have started incorporating robotics in the field of surgery for the past 35 years. In 1985, the first surgery accompanied by robotics was performed. This marked the turning point of the massive innovation that we see today.

4,044 malpractice events in surgery happen every year in the U.S according to a Johns Hopkins study analyzed by Webmd Leaving tools in a patient's body, or performing surgery in the wrong place are mishaps that can take the patient’s life. Robotic surgery can be the answer to preventing some of the fatal mishaps by improving precision, causing less blood loss, and allowing for a quick recovery of the patient. The surgeon often controls the robot at a computer console which zooms up the location of the surgery allowing for the surgeon to be more precise.

Recently, the Versius platform which was built by CMR surgical in the UK, has begun its use in modern surgical procedures. It allows for invasive surgeries without doing open surgery.

Image of Versius courtesy of medgadget

https://www.medgadget.com/2018/09/versius-robotic-surgical-system-unveiled-by-uk-company.html

In addition, Virtual Incision developed specialty robots that could perform minimal surgeries and assist in clinical operations.

Image of Virtual Incision's MIRA (image courtesy of Virtual Incision)

https://virtualincision.com/about-us/

As of March 3, 2021, Bionaut labs revealed its plans for the use of robotics by using micro-scale robots that could essentially drop payloads of various items off inside the body. They hope to use this method for brain tumors where their robots can give the correct amount of chemotherapy in the exact location needed.

The creation and implementation of robotics in surgery and general medicine will prove revolutionary in the upcoming decades by providing safety and it may even allow unskilled workers to control the robots!

Refrences:

"Surgical Errors Occur More Than 4,000 Times A Year In The U.S.". Medicalnewstoday.Com,

2021, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/254426#1. Accessed 16 Mar 2021.

" Robotic Surgery - Mayo Clinic". Mayoclinic.Org, 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-

procedures/robotic-surgery/about/pac-20394974#:~:text=Robotic%20surgery%

2C%20or%20robot%2Dassisted,procedures%20perfo

rmed%20through%20tiny%20incisions. Accessed 16 Mar 2021.

Labs, Bionaut. "Bionaut Labs Debuts From Stealth Mode To Accelerate Development Of

New Precision Treatment Modality For Brain Disorders". Prnewswire.Com, 2021,

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bionaut-labs-debuts-from-stealth-mode-to-

accelerate-development-of-new-precision-treatment-modality-for-brain-disorders-

301238937.html. Accessed 16 Mar 2021.

"CMR Surgical Rolls Out Modular Surgery Robot To NHS Hospitals". Fiercebiotech, 2020,

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/cmr-surgical-rolls-out-modular-surgery-robot-

to-nhs-hospitals. Accessed 16 Mar 2021.