After the Da Vinci surgical system received FDA approval in 2005 for use in gynaecological conditions, robot-assisted minimally invasive operations began to spread across the world at great speed.
Similarly to conventional laparoscopic operations, robotic surgery, together with its improved perioperative results, achieves a reduction in the patient’s length of hospital stay after the operation and a higher-quality recovery process.
Robotic surgery significantly improves the situations that are limiting in the classic laparoscopic method, such as two-dimensional vision, camera sensitivity, the restricted range of movement for laparoscopic instruments and the surgeon’s poor ergonomic position. Along with these, this robot-assisted approach also reduces to a minimum level the risk of the patient experiencing a complication during or after the operation.
A Minimum Risk of Infection
According to the research carried out, robot-assisted operations have many advantages over open methods. In the robotic surgery method less blood loss occurs, and this reduces the patient’s need for blood during the operation.
In addition, the rate at which complications such as deep vein thrombosis, infection, lymphocele, haematoma and anastomotic leakage are seen is much lower than in open operations and laparoscopic operations. Thanks to the fact that the incision opened for the operation is very small and that, in a minimally invasive manner, the least possible intervention is made in the patient, adverse situations that may arise, such as bleeding or infection, can readily be prevented.
After the Operation With Robotic Surgery
In operations in which robotic surgery is preferred, the period after the operation is considerably more comfortable than in other operations and recovery is short. Because intervention in the patient’s body is carried out at the lowest possible level (unnecessary intervention and movement are kept to a minimum), the recovery process takes place very quickly.
According to the research carried out in gynaecological operations, the rate at which second-level complications are seen in the early and late period after operations performed with robotic surgery has been determined as 2.9%. These complications, which are seen as urinary tract infection, pelvic inflammation or wound site infection, are accepted as complications that are seen after every operation and are treated within a short time with antibiotics. However, they are seen quite rarely.
The rate at which third-level complications are seen has been stated as 0.7%. For this reason, robot-assisted gynaecological operations are accepted as very safe.