Robot performs gastric bypass surgery

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A system that uses three robotic arms and a camera has been used to perform gastric bypass surgery successfully.
Advances in surgery mean that some operations can now be done by a robot under the direction of a surgeon. This allows more precision and eliminates fatigue and error on the part of the surgeon. Now researchers at Stanford School of Medicine, California, report on the application of robotics in gastric bypass surgery.

Used to treat clinical obesity, gastric bypass surgery is complex and challenging, with a high complication rate. It is done because it can often lead to real health benefits for patients. The Stanford doctors applied a system with three robotic arms and a binocular camera to allow laparoscopic - or 'keyhole' - gastric bypass on ten patients, under the direction of the surgeon. These patients were compared to ten others who had undergone standard laparoscopic gastric bypass.

The robot took 169 minutes to complete the procedure, compared to 208 minutes by standard laparoscopy. What is more, the learning curve for the robot system was short - with operating times getting shorter with each procedure done. As far as the patients were concerned, the rate of complications was similar between the two groups which suggests that the robotic approach is at least as safe as the standard approach.

Source
Archives of Surgery August 2005 Volume 140 pages 779-786

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