Surgery...from a Robot

The 21st century ushered in a new era that has revolutionized the world of medicine and surgeries. It began with robotic surgeries which were performed by robots while a surgeon controlled them from a chair across the room.

Not only was the tremor of the human hand erased by the steady ease of the robot machine, but surgeons were also not as easily tired by being allowed to sit down while performing. The robots allow surgeons to perform complex maneuvers that can be awkward and hard to reach allowing for less error margins and better precision.

Advancements in robotic surgery has led to telesurgeries in which surgeries can now be performed across the world. The first one was performed in 2001 from a doctor who was physically in New York, but was able to remove the gallbladder of a woman in Paris, France. This new development will revolutionize the world as we know it.

Since then, several prototypes have been implemented to perform surgeries, such as "Penelope," which assisted with its first human surgery in 2005. Patients can be protected from harmful viruses by having surgeries in which only robots are present. Also, patients can be operated on from across the world, allowing them to recover very near to their homes.

Posted by: Kylie Graham

Sources:
Military.com (2009). Retrieved October 21, 2009 from
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,97023,00.html

Encyclopedia of Surgery (2009). Retrieved October 21, 2009 from http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/St-Wr/Telesurgery.html

Image retrieved October 26, 2009 from http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/79286/