Is It Safe for Me to Have Robotic Surgery

Robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery, is a way to perform surgery using a camera arm and mechanical arms with very small tools attached to them. The surgeon sits at a computer station near the operating table and directs the movements of a robotic arm. A thin tube with the camera attached to the end of it allows the surgeon to view enlarged, high-definition, magnified 3-D images of your body as the surgery is taking place. The instruments respond to the movements and translate them into real-time movements inside the body.
More Precise than a Human
The arm is able to make the same small cuts to insert the instruments into your body, as would a regular surgeon. In fact, robotic devices are said to have greater dexterity and range of motion than a human. This allows your surgeon to successfully perform delicate surgeries in hard-to-reach places.
This way of surgery has been gaining popularity although the extent to which it is used varies widely. Its use depends on a variety of factors such as physician training, equipment availability and even cultural factors. What are people most comfortable doing and what other surgeons in the area do it? The question from patients is always “how safe is it?” Experts say robotic surgery allows doctors to perform many types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques.