Introduction In the past decade, mounting evidence suggests that surgical performance affects postoperative outcomes, as superior quality of surgery reduces the risk of complications, shortens the length of hospital stay, and results in better long-term functional and oncological outcomes. Thus…
Introduction The concept of telepresence has been present since the inception of robotic surgery. The first teleoperated robotic systems developed by SRI International and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) resulted in the surgeon console systems we are now…
Introduction Embarking on robotic surgery training can be a daunting task for the robot-naïve surgeon. Robotics has a steep learning curve, and a pathway to robotic surgery competency has not yet been standardized. Surgical colleges have not yet developed credentialing…
Introduction “Engine fire,” announced the first officer during the take-off roll. The captain rotated the aircraft and confirmed that the aircraft was climbing away and commanded the landing gear to be retracted. Then the flight deck was silent with no…
Introduction The increased use of robotic surgery across multiple surgical disciplines has required anesthesiologists to refine their approach to continue to provide safe and effective anesthesia. The anesthesiologist must consider whether the health status of the patient is adequate to…
Introduction The rapid uptake of robotic procedures has necessitated development of new training methods and the establishment of bedside assistants. Taking on the position of bedside assistant for a surgical procedure is a responsible and pivotal task. A skilled bedside…
Introduction Currently available systems for robot-assisted surgery are operator-robot systems that lack operational autonomy. The robotic console is the interface between the surgeon’s hands and the surgical instruments. It is the “cockpit” of the robotic system. The surgical console consists…
Introduction The focus of this chapter is how to set up the da Vinci Xi robot for surgery. Da Vinci robots are the most widely used surgical robots in the world, with over 5500 machines installed globally, and have been…
Introduction Since the initial development of the Green Telepresence system robotic platform in 1986, robotic-assisted surgery has dramatically transformed the landscape of surgical care. With the evolution of minimally invasive surgical approaches, robotic-assisted surgery improved upon the ergonomic and visualization…
A full anthology of the development of surgical robotics would require a complete textbook. Perhaps we could start the story with Leonardo da Vinci and his genius with a 16th century drawing of a mechanical knight ( Fig. 1.1 ).…