Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Robotic surgery

Will we dispense with doctors in the operating theatre?
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The scene of a robot performing surgery on a patient lying on the operating table looks more like a science fiction movie, where the robot’s arms pick up surgical tools to cut, repair or sew wounds in the patient’s body.


Robots have been involved in surgeries for a long time, as they are used in automated operations, but experts agree that surgery in the future will have more technical dimension.


The first surgical robot (Heartthrob), developed in 1983 by British scientists and engineers, was used in an orthopaedic procedure on March 12, 1984, at the University of British Columbia Hospital in Vancouver.


The use of technology in operating rooms has expanded continuously until it has become an essential thing that cannot be abandoned, as robots have become an important assistant to the surgeon, performing tasks that the most skilled doctors cannot.


Orthopaedic surgeries in China, for example, have also entered a new stage of intelligence and extreme skill by unveiling a third generation of the most advanced medical robots in the world.


According to the Chinese press, an endoscopic surgical robot developed by a Chinese company has begun clinical trials in gynaecology in hospitals, marking a breakthrough in the domestic surgical robot industry. The robot, created by Shenzhen-based Edge Medical Robotics Co, Ltd, allows specially trained doctors to perform procedures with more precision and control than conventional techniques. Robotic surgeries can also reduce surgical trauma and accelerate patients’ recovery.


The robot can assist the surgeon, starting with simple surgical interventions like making tiny incisions in laparoscopic surgeries, as these operations usually need at least two doctors. But with the help of the robot, one doctor can perform this operation. The robot can install the endoscope without movement, and its movements can be controlled very precisely. Thus, it is possible to perform highly precise surgical interventions through minor cuts, which in the past required a high level of expertise and absolute focus to perform.


Dr Hamad al Hinai, an orthopaedic surgeon at Nizwa Hospital, agreed that robotic technology in orthopaedic surgery is considered one of the most modern and advanced technologies. He said it gives the surgeon an accurate and complete three-dimensional image during surgery and helps him perform professional operations. Dr Al Hinai pointed out that the surgeon is the leader of the robot, and he cannot be dispensed with, adding that the value of robotic surgery is very expensive.


Orthopaedic surgery witnesses unprecedented achievements today after robots entered this field from the widest of doors. Many companies specialised in the medical field have developed surgical robots that help in orthopaedic procedures during knee, hip, shoulder or spine surgeries and get satisfactory results for both the patient and the doctor. Robotic joint replacement has become a traditional operation worldwide, provided an experienced surgeon with extensive experience in his field.


Also, robotic orthopaedic surgery is beginning to prove its effectiveness and its great role in improving the efficiency of spine surgeries, which is one of the most accurate medical operations besides many others.


Robotic surgery enables the surgeon to easily perform precise operations, especially the operations of the spine, joints and other orthopaedic operations, which contributes to alleviating the suffering of patients, shortening the recovery period, and reducing bleeding.


All experts agree on the importance of the role of the future robot in the operations room and the inability to dispense with it, yet, they also agree that the robot’s role should not exceed assistance that increases the doctor’s work with accuracy and quality. A robot should never replace the doctor, they say.


@zainabalnasseri


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