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. 2011 Jan;55(1):18-25.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5049.76577.

Robotic invasion of operation theatre and associated anaesthetic issues: A review

Prem N Kakar  1 , Jyotirmoy Das, Preeti Mittal Roy, Vijaya Pant
Affiliations

Robotic invasion of operation theatre and associated anaesthetic issues: A review

Prem N Kakar et al. Indian J Anaesth. 2011 Jan.

Abstract

A Robotic device is a powered, computer controlled manipulator with artificial sensing that can be reprogrammed to move and position tools to carry out a wide range of tasks. Robots and Telemanipulators were first developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use in space exploration. Today's medical robotic systems were the brainchild of the United States Department of Defence's desire to decrease war casualties with the development of 'telerobotic surgery'. The 'master-slave' telemanipulator concept was developed for medical use in the early 1990s where the surgeon's (master) manual movements were transmitted to end-effector (slave) instruments at a remote site. Since then, the field of surgical robotics has undergone massive transformation and the future is even brighter. As expected, any new technique brings with it risks and the possibility of technical difficulties. The person who bears the brunt of complications or benefit from a new invention is the 'Patient'. Anaesthesiologists as always must do their part to be the patient's 'best man' in the perioperative period. We should be prepared for screening and selection of patients in a different perspective keeping in mind the steep learning curves of surgeons, long surgical hours, extreme patient positioning and other previously unknown anaesthetic challenges brought about by the surgical robot. In this article we have tried to track the development of surgical robots and consider the unique anaesthetic issues related to robot assisted surgeries.

Keywords: Da Vinci Robotic system; extreme position; surgical robot; telemanipulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) New generation Robotic instruments have 7 degrees of freedom as the human hand (b) EndoWrist’® instrument from Intuitive Surgical [a and b: Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA.]
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) The da Vinci System Surgeon console; (b) the cart with three mounted surgical arms; (c) Joysticks with viewing ports in the console [a-c: Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA.]
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Schematic diagram and (b) Actual photograph showing the arrangement of the operating room in Robot assisted surgery [a: Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA.]
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a)The console of the ZEUS robotic system; (b) the three arms together on patient’s side [a: Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA.]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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