The da Vinci® S™ Surgical System is an addition to Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci product line. da Vinci is a state-of-the-art robotic-system designed to expand the surgeon’s capabilities, providing patients with a minimally invasive option for many complex procedures – for the very first time.
The da Vinci System allows surgeons to perform complex procedures – including prostate, heart and gynecological surgery — using dime-sized incisions. For most patients, this minimally invasive approach results in significantly less pain, less blood loss, shorter recovery periods and a quicker return to normal daily activities.
By enhancing surgical capabilities, da Vinci surgery is helping to improve clinical outcomes and redefine standards of care. Along with offering the many potential benefits of minimally invasive surgery, studies suggest that da Vinci Surgery may deliver improved clinical outcomes – for example, better cancer control and a faster return to potency and continence, as documented with da Vinci Prostatectomy.
The da Vinci Surgical System consists of an ergonomically designed console at which the surgeon sits; a mobile patient-side cart with four interactive robotic arms; a high-resolution 3D vision system and proprietary wristed instrumentation. The System is designed to seamlessly translate the surgeon’s hand movements into corresponding micro-movements of the miniaturized instruments positioned inside the patient.
Two robotic arms, representing the surgeon’s left and right hands, hold the proprietary instruments. The instruments — which have more range of motion than the human hand — are inserted into the patient through 1-2 cm incisions.
A third arm holds the 3D camera, which the surgeon can easily reposition, as well as zoom and rotate to adjust his or her field of vision, from the console. The System delivers a highly magnified, view of the operative field, with bright, crisp images and natural depth-of-field, which enables the surgeon to perform delicate tissue dissection and suture with added precision – even in confined spaces.
The fourth arm enables the surgeon to add a third instrument to perform supporting tasks like tissue retraction, thereby eliminating the need for a patient-side assistant for selected procedures. The console surgeon can simultaneously control any two of the operating arms simply by depressing a foot pedal underneath the console.
As amazing as the system is, we are always looking for ways to improve beyond technology today. The use of 3-D imaging is only the beginning phase of what surgical vision improvements await us.