Chapter 66
- Anesthesia for Robotic Surgery
- Ervant V. Nishanian
- Berend Mets
Robotic surgery is the resulting transformation of the minimally
invasive surgical evolution. Robotic devices are being introduced to surgery because
they allow unprecedented control and precision of surgical instruments in minimally
invasive procedures. The anticipated benefits of robotic or robot-assisted surgery
to the patient include less pain and trauma, shorter hospital stays, quicker recovery,
and a better cosmetic result. With these technologic innovations, new anesthetic
implications for patient care are being discovered. As surgery evolves into the
robotic era, anesthesiologists must keep abreast of these changes and their impact
on patient care and safety.
First-generation surgical robots are being installed in a number
of operating rooms around the world. These are not true autonomous robots that perform
surgical tasks; rather, they are mechanical "helping hands" that offer assistance
in various fields of surgery. These machines still require human intervention to
operate or to provide input instructions. Robotic devices are here to help surgeons,
not to replace them.
