Surgeries are a nasty business, often requiring doctors to cut deep into the human body to remove tumors and other disease-related issues. Now, new reports from a retired CBC journalist showcase just how pivotal robots like the Da Vinci surgical robot can be in these high-risk operations.
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According to retired journalist Glenn Deir, without the Da Vinci robot to help move his surgery along, he would still be suffering from a nasty tumor on his tonsils, or worse, he would have died from the cancer. The inoperable tumor was part of a resurgence of cancerous material, which left Deir facing his second major bout with cancer, as the tumor also extended to the back of his tongue.
To remove the tumorous growth, doctors had to carefully cut his tonsil, throat and tongue. This was a painful procedure, which Deir explained in an essay. The only thing that could save him was the Da Vinci robotic surgical system, which has “fingers,” capable of reaching places where the human hand can’t.
“It turned out to be more complex than Dr. Corsten had anticipated. The previous radiation had made the tonsil stiff; it didn’t pull away easily. The tumor on my tongue was the size of a large cherry. The surgeon had to twist a muscular to close the gap between my tongue and throat. Deir explains, “I woke up the next morning with a tube in my nose. The neck-long incision was also there.
But, the surgery was successful, as Deir had his tumor removed. He was then able to heal and learn how to speak again, after having to have his tonsils, tongue and throat cut. Without Da Vinci, though, the surgery would have been a lot different. Doctor says that they would have needed to split his jaw to get to the tumor, and then remove it manually.
Instead, with the help of the Da Vinci surgical robot and the guiding hands of one Dr. Martin Corsten (who controlled the robot during the surgery), it only required an incision on his neck. This story and the creation of robots that can perform surgeries autonomously show just how pivotal robotics have become to the surgical world. You can read Deir’s full account of the surgery on CBC.
The post Da Vinci robot surgeon removes inoperable tumor, saving patient’s life appeared first on BGR.
