Picture this. You have been advised a surgical procedure for heart disease, uterine cancer or prostate cancer. But in the operating theatre, there is no sign of the surgeon.
MUMBAI: Picture this. You have been advised a surgical procedure for heart disease, breast cancer, uterine cancer or prostate cancer. But in the operating theatre, there is no sign of the surgeon. Instead, what greets you is a four-armed robot, which proceeds to make the incision, cut the ‘diseased’ part of the organ with the least possible amount of blood loss or nerve damage, and delivers fine sutures at the site of the incision.
Sounds like a paragraph straight out of a Robin Cook book? Think again. There are over 500 robots in the US, 200 in Europe and one in India, at Delhi-based AIIMS Hospital, performing surgeries on patients for various problems. And Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital may be the next one to procure the help of artificial intelligence for surgeons performing operations.
“Robotic surgery, since it’s inception in 1999, is known to be superior compared to traditional open radical surgery or laparoscopic procedures,” said Dr Ashutosh Tewari, director of robotic prostatectomy, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Centre who attended the day-long first international symposium on radical prostatectomy and robotics at Hinduja Hospital on Saturday.
“With the da Vinci Surgical Robot System, the surgeon performs the operation seated at a control console. Advanced optics allow high magnification and 3-D perspective,” he explained.
Robotic technology can be used in any kind of surgery, but it is particularly useful when it comes to prostatectomy — removal of a cancerous prostate, as removing it is a delicate procedure, compounded by the gland’s proximity to the nerves and tissues controlling continence and sexual function.
“However, the robot alone costs about Rs7 crore. Apart from this, there are some consumables in the machine which can be used just eight times, which cost Rs40,000 to replace. Then there is also maintenance-related expenditure. This makes it very expensive for the hospital to bear the cost,” said Dr Anil Bradoo, consultant urologist and secretary, Mumbai Urological Society. “Nevertheless, we are not averse to considering robotic surgery,” said GB Davar, medical director, Hinduja Hospital.
Dr Bradoo is of the opinion that robotic technology will help Indian surgeons deal with the ever-increasing number of patients. “In India, there is very little awareness about prostate cancer. Very few men are willing to talk about prostate problems,” said Dr Bradoo, urging all men above the age of 50 to undergo a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test.
s_deepa@dnaindia.net
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