Q. What is Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS)?
A. MIS is surgery typically performed through small
incisions, or operating ports, rather than large incisions. This can
potentially result in shorter recovery times, fewer complications, reduced
hospitalization costs and reduced trauma to the patient. While MIS has
become standard-of-care for particular surgical procedures, it has not been
widely adopted for more complex or delicate procedures - for example,
prostatectomy and mitral valve repair.
Intuitive Surgical believes that surgeons have been slow to adopt MIS for
complex procedures because they generally find that fine-tissue manipulation
– such as dissecting and suturing – is more difficult than in open surgery.
Intuitive Surgical's technology, however, enables the use of MIS techniques
for complex procedures.
Q. Why do we need a new way to do minimally invasive surgery?
A. Despite the widespread use of minimally invasive or
laparoscopic surgery in today's hospitals, adoption of laparoscopic
techniques, for the most part, has been limited to a few routine procedures.
This is due mostly to the limited capabilities of traditional laparoscopic
technology, including standard video and rigid instruments, which surgeons
must rely on to operate through small incisions.
In traditional open surgery, the physician makes a long incision and then
widens it to access the anatomy. In traditional minimally invasive surgery -
which is widely used for routine procedures - the surgeon operates using
rigid, hand-operated instruments, which are passed through small incisions
and views the anatomy on a standard video monitor. Neither this laparoscopic
instrumentation nor the video monitor can provide the surgeon with the
excellent visualization needed to perform complex surgery like mitral valve
repair or nerve-sparing prostatectomy.
Q. What are the benefits of da Vinci Surgery compared with
traditional methods of surgery?
A. Some of the major benefits experienced by surgeons
using the da Vinci Surgical System over traditional approaches have been
greater surgical precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity,
enhanced visualization and improved access. Benefits experienced by patients
may include a shorter hospital stay, less pain, less risk of infection, less
blood loss, fewer transfusions, less scarring, faster recovery and a quicker
return to normal daily activities. None of these benefits can be guaranteed,
as surgery is necessarily both patient- and procedure-specific.
Q: Where is the da Vinci Surgical System being used now?
A. Currently, da Vinci Surgical Systems are being used
in hundreds of locations worldwide, in major centers in the United States,
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, the
Netherlands, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United
Kingdom, Australia and Turkey.
Though there are many da Vinci Surgical Systems in New York State, there
are only two sites with the most advanced model, the da Vinci Si
HD Surgical System. This advanced instrument enables surgeons
at Lourdes to operate with unparalleled visibility and dexterity.
Q. Has the da Vinci Surgical System been cleared by the FDA?
A. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
cleared the da Vinci Surgical System for a wide range of procedures. Please
see the
FDA Clearance page for specific clearances and representative uses.
Q: Is da Vinci Surgery covered by insurance?
A. da Vinci Surgery is categorized as robot-assisted
minimally invasive surgery, so any insurance that covers minimally invasive
surgery generally covers da Vinci Surgery. This is true for widely held
insurance plans like Medicare. It is important to note that your coverage
will depend on your plan and benefits package.
Q. Will the da Vinci Surgical System make the surgeon
unnecessary?
A. On the contrary, the da Vinci System enables surgeons
to be more precise, advancing their technique and enhancing their capability
in performing complex minimally invasive surgery. The system replicates the
surgeon's movements in real time. It cannot be programmed, nor can it make
decisions on its own to move in any way or perform any type of surgical
maneuver without the surgeon's input.
Q. Is a surgeon using the da Vinci Surgical System operating in
"virtual reality"?
A. Although seated at a console a few feet away from the
patient, the surgeon views an actual image of the surgical field while
operating in real-time, through tiny incisions, using miniaturized, wristed
instruments. At no time does the surgeon see a virtual image or
program/command the system to perform any maneuver on its own/outside of the
surgeon's direct, real-time control.
Q. Is this telesurgery? Can you operate over long distances?
A. The da Vinci Surgical System can theoretically be
used to operate over long distances. This capability, however, is not the
primary focus of the company and thus is not available with the current da
Vinci Surgical System.
Q. While using the da Vinci Surgical System, can the surgeon feel
anything inside the patient's chest or abdomen?
A. The system relays some force feedback sensations from
the operative field back to the surgeon throughout the procedure. This force
feedback provides a substitute for tactile sensation and is augmented by the
enhanced vision provided by the high-resolution 3D view.
Q: What procedures have been performed using the da Vinci
Surgical System? What additional procedures are possible?
A. The da Vinci System is a robotic surgical platform
designed to enable complex procedures of all types to be performed through
1-2 cm incisions or operating “ports.” To date, tens of thousands of
procedures including general, urologic, gynecologic, thoracoscopic, and
thoracoscopically-assisted cardiotomy procedures have been performed using
the da Vinci Surgical System.
At Lourdes,
Prostatectomy, Hysterectomy and
Myomectomy procedures are currently
being performed.
Q. Why is it called the da Vinci Surgical System?
A. The product is called "da Vinci" in part because
Leonardo da Vinci invented the first robot. He also used unparalleled
anatomical accuracy and three-dimensional details to bring his masterpieces
to life. The da Vinci Surgical System similarly provides physicians with
such enhanced detail and precision that the System can simulate an open
surgical environment while allowing operation through tiny incisions.