Reflection of the November 27th class

During this class we learned about the Da Vinci Surgical system. This system is an ergonomically designed tool for surgeons to make these procedures faster and easier.

Here is a list of the components of this system take from the site http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/products/davinci_surgicalsystem/index.aspx 

Surgeon Console

• Using the da Vinci Surgical System, the surgeon operates while seated comfortably at a console viewing a 3-D image of the surgical field.
• The surgeon's fingers grasp the master controls below the display, with hands and wrists naturally positioned relative to his or her eyes.
• The system seamlessly translates the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements into precise, real-time movements of surgical instruments inside the patient.

Patient-side Cart

• Provides either three or four robotic arms—two or three instrument arms and one endoscope arm—that execute the surgeon's commands.
• The laparoscopic arms pivot at the 1-2 cm operating ports, eliminating the use of the patient's body wall for leverage and minimizing tissue damage.
• Supporting surgical team members assist in installing the proper instruments, prepare the 1-2 cm port in the patient and supervise the laparoscopic arms and tools being utilized.

EndoWrist Instruments

• A full range of proprietary EndoWrist instruments is available to support the surgeon while operating.
• The instruments are designed with seven degrees of motion that mimic the dexterity of the human hand and wrist.
• Each instrument has a specific surgical mission such as clamping, suturing and tissue manipulation.
• Quick-release levers speed instrument changes during surgical procedures.

Vision System

• The Vision System, with high-resolution 3-D endoscope and image processing equipment, provides the true-to-life 3-D images of the operative field.
• Operating images are enhanced, refined and optimized using image synchronizers, high-intensity illuminators and camera control units. 

A social and ethical issue of this is that of reliability. This is because if the system fails during a surgery this could be devastating for the patient who would be stuck their mid-surgery. Another issue would be that of equality of access. These systems are very expensive and so only the rich developed countries can afford to have them. The IT systems in this are hardware (robotics) and software (maneuvering software).