Robotic Weight-Loss Surgery
Economic Times September 25, 2008
Recent studies show that weight-loss surgeries assisted by a robot make the operation safer for patients.
605 patients took part in the research. Doctors at the Texas University Medical School analysed several factors such as operation times, how long the patients stayed in the hospital and what complications they had. The patients underwent either a gastric bypass procedure with doctors or with robotic help.
The major difference was the gastrointestinal leak rate. Six patients who underwent the operation without the robot’s assistance had this complication within 90 days after the procedure. Eric B. Wilson, the study co-author, said that even though the robotic surgery takes more time and is more expensive, the results are better and “decreased leak rates may offset the cost to some extent”.
What’s more, during the surgeries carried out with robot’s help, there is clear, three-dimensional view of the operative field. That helps the doctors to see better tissue planes and place sutures more precisely.
The gastrointestinal leak can cause abdominal and chest pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and death in rare cases.
Other results of both operations were similar. In comparison, the surgery assisted by a robot was 17 minutes longer. Patients from both groups had to stay in hospital for three days and had the complication rate of 14%.
