Advantages and Disadvantages of Robotic Cardiac Surgery

Introduction

Robotic surgery is an advanced treatment modality used for various types of surgeries. Robotic cardiac surgery is performed by cardiac surgeons with the help of robotic arms inserted in the chest via small incisions. These arms, along with other surgical tools, are operated by a surgeon by viewing the images on a screen. The advantages of robot-assisted cardiac surgery are- it helps in reaching the areas that are difficult to reach by conventional methods, quick healing, is minimally invasive, less blood loss, reduces scarring, etc. This procedure's drawbacks include its high cost, robotic malfunction, time-consuming, unavailability at all the centers, etc.

What Is Robotic Surgery?

Robotic surgery, also known as robot-assisted surgery, helps doctors in smoothly perform many complicated surgical procedures with more precision, control, and flexibility than is possible with conventional surgical procedures. Robotic surgery is linked with minimally invasive surgery- procedures done with tiny incisions. In some cases, it is also used in some traditional surgical procedures.

In robotic surgical procedures used mostly, there is a camera arm and mechanical arms fitted with surgical instruments. The surgeon controls the arms while sitting at the computer console near the operating table. The console provides the surgeon with high-definition, magnified, and 3-D images of the surgical site.

What Is Robotic Cardiac Surgery?

Robotic cardiac surgery is a technique in which a surgeon places tiny incisions in the chest for the robotic arms to work along with the surgical tools. This is a minimally invasive technique. In this technique, the chest is not open as it used to be in standard heat surgery. This technique has made cardiac surgery more feasible for doctors and patients. This technique is used in various complicated cardiac procedures like:

• Repairing of mitral valve.

• Replacement of mitral valve.

• Repair or closure of a certain kind of hole present in the heart.

• For removing benign cardiac growths or tumors.

• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).

• Atrial septal defect (ASD) repair.

How Is Robotic Cardiac Surgery Performed?

The procedure followed for robotic cardiac surgery is:

• Before the surgery, incisions are made in the space between the ribs to insert the robotic arms.

• The surgeon is seated at a computer console where he operates the surgical site with a robotic arm inserted with a camera and surgical tools.

• The camera gives the surgeon a 3D high-definition view of the surgical site. This 10x magnification and clear vision provides the doctors access to invisible portions and successfully treat the tumor.

• There will be another surgeon along with the medical team on the operating site who ensures the positioning of the patient and checks whether the robotic arms are working well.

What Are the Advantages of Robotic Cardiac Surgery?

Robotic surgery is a safe and convenient procedure. It provides minimal invasion and a speedy recovery. The robotic arm provides surgeons with increased precision and movement of hands during surgery. A clear vision of the surgical site is available in robotic surgical procedures.

The advantages of robotic cardiac surgery are:

• Small incisions: Small ones are placed compared to the traditional surgical procedure.

• Advanced precision: This surgery provides enhanced precision, which is an important advantage of this surgery. The robotic arm requires less space to hold an object or instrument than the human hand. The motions of a robotic arm are much more significant than a human hand's.

• Better Visualization: Sometimes, sites that are hard to reach or view need to be seen clearly in traditional methods. The 3D camera attached to the robotic arm provides a clear view of the compact space present at the surgical site.

• Less tissue scarring is present.

• Reduced pain and blood loss.

• Shorter hospital stays.

• The risk of getting an infection is less.

• Precise removal of cancerous tissue.

• Faster return to day-to-day activities and recovery is also quick.

• Complications are less.

• Reduced postoperative complication: Post-operative complications become less like the pain of the wound, risk of a cardiac arrest, or heart attack.

What Are the Disadvantages of Robotic Cardiac Surgery?

The disadvantages of robotic cardiac surgery are:

• Less availability: There are many hospitals around, but this procedure is only available in advanced centers that are equipped properly, can afford the technology, and have trained surgeons.

• If complications occur during or after the surgery, surgeons need to convert them to an open surgical procedure. These include scar tissue from surgeries that make it difficult for robotic technology to get completed.

• Risk of nerve damage and compression.

• Robotic malfunction: This is a rare complication as all the machines and sets are checked thoroughly before starting the procedure. But a robot is a man-made machine, which may be dysfunctional sometimes. Machine malfunctioning might also cause tissue damage, nerve injury, etc.

• Takes longer time than traditional surgery.

• Expensive: This technique involves a robot, camera, etc.; therefore, their maintenance cost is high, and so is surgery. It is only easily affordable by some.

• Latency during the procedure: The computer takes some time to produce an output after input is given. This risk cannot be taken in a critical case like cardiac surgery, where the surgeons might make an immediate decision.

• Some other risk factors of robotic cardiac surgery might include:

1. Fatigue.

2. Infection.

3. The age of an individual.

4. Other medical conditions the patient might possess.

Conclusion

Robotic surgery is a surgery performed with the help of a robot, a console, and an operating surgeon. In robotic cardiac surgery, small incisions are made between the patient's ribs, a surgeon gives directions while viewing on the screen, and the arms of the robot function. Like every other surgery, this surgery has its advantages and disadvantages. Some advantages of robotic cardiac surgery are minimally invasive, quick healing, less blood loss, enhanced precision, etc. The disadvantages of robotic cardiac surgery are that it is expensive, not available at all nearby centers, can have a robotic malfunction, is time-consuming, and has a risk of nerve damage.