Robotic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery being used at Cooper for some cardiac, lung, gynecologic and urologic problems including cancer.“Minimally invasive” means that instead of operating on patients through large incisions, Cooper surgeons use miniaturized surgical instruments that fit through a series of quarter-inch incisions. When performing surgery with the da Vinci Robotic System—the world’s most advanced surgical robot—the miniaturized instruments and a magnified, high definition 3D camera are mounted on separate robotic arms, allowing the surgeon maximum range of motion and precision as well as complete visualization of the surgical area.
The surgeon controls the instruments and the camera from a console located in the operating room adjacent to the patient. Placing his fingers into the master controls, the surgeon is able to operate all four arms of the da Vinci simultaneously while looking through a stereoscopic, high-definition monitor that figuratively places him inside the patient, giving him/her a better, more detailed 3-D view of the operating site than the human eye can provide. Every movement the surgeon makes with the master controls is replicated precisely by the robot.
The ultimate effect is to give the surgeon unprecedented control in a minimally invasive environment. Utilizing this advanced technology, our surgeons are able to perform a growing number of complex urological, gynecological, cardiac, thoracic and general surgical procedures.
Since these procedures can now be performed through very small incisions, our patients experience a number of benefits compared to open surgery, including:
- Less trauma on the body
- Minimal scarring, and
- Faster recovery time