Thoracic surgery goes robotic way

KOCHI: Robotic arms are slowly replacing human wrists in surgical procedures in thoracic treatments after urology and gynaecology. Though robotic-assisted thoracic surgery facility is now available at only two centres in the state, it is getting wide acceptance due to its multiple benefits. Experts advocate robotic surgeries as they considerably reduce the post-surgery complications and lessen chances of infection.

"Robotic surgery is now increasingly used in several thoracic treatment procedures like removal of lung tumours and thymus gland and pulmonary lobectomy to remove the lobe of the lung containing cancerous cells," said Dr K.R. Balasubramaniam, clinical associate professor, department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi.

"In an open thoracic surgery, four muscles have to be cut to remove the affected part of lungs. However, in robotic thoracic surgery, only an 8 mm incision is made which will considerably bring down the chances of infection and other post-surgery complications. In open surgery, the functional disability after the surgery is a major problem for patients, especially manual labourers. The robotic procedure does not affect their ability."

Dr Shiv K. Nair, senior consultant, department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Rajagiri Hospital, describes it as a revolutionary surgical innovation with a bright future. "The robotic arms have more flexibility and precision than the human wrist which is why it is better than typical non-invasive laparoscopic surgery," he said. "Though the massive capital investment is the major challenge now, I think the cost of the machine will come down soon as more countries have started manufacturing it," he observed.