Robotic Surgery

I assume you're talking about the da Vinci robot. I think it's a waste of money.

My job (as I see it) is to move the beast into the OR without breaking it. Clinical engineering does the maintenance. The surgeons (and residents) set it up and use it.

I'm a little bitter because our hospital is investing in two, although we don't have any surgeons who actually want to use them. The reason we're buying them is so we can advertise that we have them (and twice as many as any other hospital in town!) Meanwhile, there are budget cuts being made, we cannot hire new staff, and no one has seen a raise in years.

How long has it been since you got those machines? o.o

We have them. We use them. There is a HUGE and I mean a HUGE learning curve with some physicians, and then there are the "artiste" physicians that take to it like fish in water. I know of one GYNE surgeon who is brilliant already. Then there are others I wouldn't let cut a sandwich.

I recover the patients and so far, I haven't seen a difference in the pain management, and in actuality the length of surgery and the amount of anesthesia increases the PONV aspect.

We shall see what happens in 5 years.

After reading this post and the replies I started thinking about all the innovations i've witnessed . I started as a surgical technician in 1984. At that time the only doctors using scopes were urologists who would look directly into the lens. In 1986 the development of the video computer chip enabled surgeons to project images onto a television screen using a camera system mounted on the eyepiece of the scope. These first surgeries in our operating room were mostly cholecystectomies and they lasted for hours ! I remember 4 to 6 hour surgeries , when an open procedure could be done in one hour. But the patients were no longer subjected to large incisions and weeks of healing time from cutting through muscle.

Two years ago I had my gallbladder removed ; the total time from incision to closure was 37 minutes, and I left the hospital the next morning. I can hardly see the tiny incisions.

I have limited robotic experience but remember the first prostatectomy took hours to set up. Sure - they are complicated monsters but so are the new OR tables with 100 different attachments. The robotic systems are incredibly expensive at this time but to put things in perspective : in 1989 I paid $3000 dollars for a cell phone. Yes $3000 !!!!! (I was young, dumb and wanted to look cool).

So as JoPACURN says "lets give it 5 years". And you know for a million dollars they do look cool !!

We have them. We use them. There is a HUGE and I mean a HUGE learning curve with some physicians, and then there are the "artiste" physicians that take to it like fish in water. I know of one GYNE surgeon who is brilliant already. Then there are others I wouldn't let cut a sandwich.

I recover the patients and so far, I haven't seen a difference in the pain management, and in actuality the length of surgery and the amount of anesthesia increases the PONV aspect.

We shall see what happens in 5 years.

Thank you for the reply ^_^

@ dchen where particularly hospital in the philippines do you train? are you already employed?

@ dchen where particularly hospital in the philippines do you train? are you already employed?

I'm still training to get employed at Southern Philippines Medical Center (Davao City). :) This research about robotic surgery is one of my requirements to finish the training program.

woahh its too far.. im from manila.. but anyway thanks.. goodluck to your research!