Robotic Surgery Da Vinci
The future is here
The concept of Minimal Interventional Surgery is nowadays well established in the conscience of every modern surgeon, who understands the need for reducing surgical trauma at all levels. The aim, even when operating laparoscopically through very small incisions and with very fine tools, is to perform very precise, targeted and effective movements so as to limit unnecessary injuries to tissue. The more atraumatic the operation is, the quicker and painless the post-operative recovery, post-operative complications are close to zero, and in general the hardship of going through surgery passes with the least cost. As part of this generalised demand, the space-age technology of robots has gradually entered our everyday life.
Initially it was the US Army that recognized the capabilities and potential applications of robots in warfare. During the Gulf War, the idea of a surgical robot was born and realised in order to deal with injuries in the battlefield directed by the commands issued by a regular surgeon located in a safe area. This was how the robot Aesop (1994) was created first, followed by Zeus (1996), which was the precursor of the current Da Vinci system. In 1997, the first Da Vinci robotic surgical system was imported to Europe and the first Robotic Holocystectomy was carried out by French surgeon Cadiere at the IRCAT training centre in Strasbourg. This first robotic surgery on a human marked the entry into the era of Modern Robotic Surgery.
