Robotic Thoracic Surgery (RTS)

Robotic Thoracic Surgery is minimally invasive lung & chest surgery utilizing the daVinci robotic system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc). DaVinci does not function autonomously, but rather translates the exact motions of the surgeon's hands to miniature tools on the end of slim instruments inserted through puncture incisions in-between the patient's ribs. Consequently, the surgeon is able to perform complex operations entirely within the patient's chest cavity that previously required a large incision and spreading of ribs. DaVinci offers the surgeon advantages over earlier types of minimally invasive techniques, such as VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery), including greater precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, and enhanced visualization.

The robotic technique can be used for different types of chest procedures involving the lungs, oesophagus, thymus, and specific cardiac procedures, besides lung cancer surgery.

Conditions Treated Through Robotic Thoracic Surgery

What are the benefits of Robotic Thoracic Surgery?

Since Robotic Thoracic Surgery is essentially a closed procedure performed through port incisions without rib spreading, the patient is afforded many of the following benefits: Less tissue trauma, less pain, shorter hospital stay, faster return to normal activity, lower blood loss, and decreased scarring. (Please note that none of these benefits are guaranteed, as the benefits and suitablity of RTS are both patient and procedure specific.)

Advantages of Robotic Thoracic Surgery

Robotic surgery is a significant advancement for thoracic surgeons operating in a small area

bounded by the rib cage- The surgical robot operates through small incisions. The only tissue cut is the skin since deeper tissues are spread apart gently. The robot rotates around a pivot point near the patient’s ribs, minimising physical pressure on sensitive nerves and tissues. This greatly lessens postoperative pain and speeds recovery.

The surgical robot offers 3-D HD imaging and magnification, scalable motion, and 7 degrees of freedom in manipulating surgical “wrists”, enabling unparalleled surgical accuracy. The robot is, in reality, an extension of the surgeon’s arms and hands, providing him/her with the tools to perform intricate surgical procedures in tight angles and confined spaces.

Benefits for Patients and Risks

The benefits of the robotic system are numerous and include:

Very Small Incisions Of the three major surgical approaches thoracic surgeons use today, robotic surgery is the only one in which tiny incisions are exclusively used. This results in less scarring and leads to a faster recovery from surgery.

Less Blood Loss- A more technically precise surgery means less blood loss and fewer blood transfusions.

Less Postoperative Pain- The chest wall is a sensitive area where surgery can easily inflame the nerves. The good news is that incisions used in robotic surgery are made in the lower part of the chest where space between the ribs is most significant, thereby greatly lessening post-operative pain.

Shorter Hospital Stay- Robotic surgery reduces the length of hospital stays. Sometimes, the patient can be discharged 1-2 days after surgery. The results of Robotic Thoracic surgery are as good as open and VATS (Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery) in terms of clearing disease with several advantages in both cancer and non-cancer diseases.

More Precise Assessment of Involvement and Operative Staging. The robotic system allows for a more thorough dissection of tissues to “stage” or determine the extent of cancer. This information is critical to getting an accurate prognosis and guiding treatment decisions.