Ethics and Reliability of Robotic Surgery

Ethics and Reliability of Robotic Surgery

By Lisa Christian

What is Robotic Surgery?

Robitic surgery uses AI (artificial intelligence) to make surgery by hand improved by intelligent decisions, that computerised robots make.

Robotic surgery offers doctors improved performance to carry out complex procedures with more accurate precision, flexibility and control, than what is normally possible than when they do it by hand.

The work is often more delicate and can ease complications.

Robotic surgery may also be known as called robot-assisted surgery.

A robotic surgery system carries out surgery with a camera arm and mechanical arms with surgical instruments that are attached to them. 

Robotic surgery most often is performed through keyhole surgery, in the skin and other tissues. This may be called minimally invasive surgery.

'The benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:

⦁ Fewer complications, such as surgical site infection.

⦁ Less pain and blood loss.

⦁ A shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery.

⦁ Smaller, less noticeable scars.' (MayoClinic, 2024.)

What happens in Robotic Surgery?

The surgeon sits in a console area or control centre, within close view of the operating table. From the control centre, the surgeon can view a magnified, high-definition, 3D view of the surgical site.

This allows the surgeon more precision, when carrying out the surgery. Very small tools are used, by the mechanical arm.

There are other assistants involved in the surgery and the surgeon gives them instructions to follow.

A general anesthesia is iven to the patient, so that they are asleep and free of pain.

'The surgeon makes small cuts to insert the instruments into your body.

A thin tube with a camera attached to the end of it (endoscope) allows the surgeon to view enlarged 3-D images of your body as the surgery is taking place.' (MedlinePlus, 2024.)

To prepare, the patient can't have fluid for 8 hours prior surgery.

They may need to cleanse your bowels the day before surgery for different types of procedures.

Then they need to 'stop taking aspirin, blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin) or clopidogrel (Plavix), anti-inflammatory medicines, vitamins, or other supplements 10 days before the procedure.'(MedlinePlus, 2024.)

After the Procedure, they will be taken to a recovery room after the procedure. Sometimes they need to stay overnight.

The patient should begin recovery and be able to walk, the next day, avoiding heavy lifting or driving initially.

What is Robotic Surgery used for?

'Robotic surgery may be used for a number of different procedures, including:

⦁ Coronary artery bypass

⦁ Cutting away cancer tissue from sensitive parts of the body such as blood vessels, nerves, or important body organs

⦁ Gallbladder removal

⦁ Hip replacement

⦁ Hysterectomy

⦁ Total or partial kidney removal

⦁ Kidney transplant

⦁ Mitral valve repair

⦁ Pyeloplasty (surgery to correct ureteropelvic junction obstruction)

⦁ Pyloroplasty

⦁ Radical prostatectomy

⦁ Radical cystectomy

⦁ Tubal ligation 

⦁ Robotic surgery cannot always be used or be the best method of surgery.' (MedlinePlus, 2024.)

What are the benefits and risks?

'Benefits include:

⦁ Faster recovery

⦁ Less pain and bleeding

⦁ Less risk for infection

⦁ Shorter hospital stay

⦁ Smaller scars' (Medline Plus, 2024.)

'The risks of any anesthesia and surgery include:

⦁ Reactions to medicines

⦁ Breathing problems

⦁ Bleeding

⦁ Infection' (Medline Plus, 2024.)

Bioethics and liabilities

The AI, allows the robot to make intelligent decisions, learning more from experience.

Stepping further away from human intervention and human led decisions, this poses legal issues for ethics and libility.

If any harm occurs, the surgeon may end up being the one that is blamed.

This may be unfair or unethical, ethical from the patient's point of view.

Conclusions

Robotic surgery benefits may outway the risks, but it depends on the patient, whether they'd like to trust a surgeon, using robotic technology.

References:

Mayo Clinic, 2024. 'Robotic Surgery'.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/robotic-surgery/about/pac-20394974

Medline Plus, 2024. 'Robotic Surgery'.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007339.htm

NCBI (National Library of Medicine), 2024. 'Autonomous surgical robotic systems and the liability dilemma'.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9580336/