Indian Americans lead in using robotics for surgery
They are leading the trend of using robotics in surgeries as operating rooms in the US become increasingly hi-tech.
Indian American surgeons are leading the trend of using robotics in surgeries as operating rooms in the US become increasingly hi-tech.
From prostatectomy to coronary artery bypass, surgeons depend more and more on robotics. The results, they say, are impressive in terms of patient recovery.
"In the US, robotics is now very common with over 10,000 surgeries being performed a year. It is growing quickly on the international scene too," Vipul Patel, a Birmingham, Alabama, surgeon who is a leading name in performing prostatectomy, told IANS.
Patel recently performed surgeries at Istanbul in Turkey using robotics.
Robotics is used in removing cancerous prostate glands, fixing damaged hearts, performing gastric bypasses, and carrying out tubal reversal for infertility.
The idea behind robotics is to minimise a surgeon's hand contact with the patient. After an initial incision is made, robotic arms equipped with tiny cameras and surgical tools take over.
The surgeon operates on a console showing a three-dimensional image of the patient's inside.
"It is evolving rapidly. Robotics is becoming commonplace in surgeries," said Sudhir Srivastava, a cardiac surgeon who is chairman of the board at Alliance Hospital in Odessa, Texas.
Robotic surgery requires extensive training.
"The training for robotics is quite rigorous and has its own learning curve. Once this is scaled, the procedure has multiple benefits over open surgery," Patel said.
Srivastava agreed: "There is a learning curve. Typically surgeons work on 20 to 30 cases to get trained."
One of the challenges while performing robotic surgery is getting accustomed to the 3-D view.
"The 3-D view definitely makes life so much easier since it feels like you are inside of the patient operating. It is much easier than the 2-D for conventional laparoscopy," Patel said.
"There is a clear visual advantage in robotics since the image gets magnified 10 times. In fact, I think 2-D view is more difficult than 3-D," Srivastava said.
With the growing use of robotics, surgeons from across the world are heading to the US for training.
"There are training programmes around the country. Our hospital in Birmingham is now the most commonly visited site by surgeons wishing to observe and learn our technique. We also have proctorships for surgeons wishing to learn," Patel said. He is scheduled to conduct workshops on robotics in India in April.
Srivastava said Indian doctors from hospitals such as Escorts and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have been trained by his hospital.
Both Patel and Srivastava said recovery among patients operated using robotics is much quicker.
"In my experience patients do much better after robotic surgery. They are able to move in the first few days after the surgery because the incisions are very precise and discomfort level is lower," Srivastava noted.
Robotic surgeries are performed in less than 300 hospitals around the world, according to one estimate. That is partly because of the cost factor.
According to industry estimates, the costs of robotic surgeries are higher. In the case of prostatectomy, it could add an additional $1,000 and in case of a mitral valve operation, it could add an additional $4,000 -- bringing the typical cost for the former up to $24,000 and about $40,000 for the latter.
But doctors argue shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery offset the extra cost.
Apart from Patel, Mani Menon of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit is known to perform prostatectomy using robotics. Valavanur Subramanian of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York is known to conduct robotic coronary artery bypass.
