Robotic surgery slices recovery time

AHMEDABAD: A 55-year-old paediatrician in Rajkot, Dr Ashok Patel, who had a

tumour

in his intestines said he was surprised he could get back to work six days after he underwent advanced

robotic surgery

.

Doctors said recovery time was short because

incision

wounds from the surgery were very small compared to what an open surgery would have left.

Onco-surgeons of HCG

Cancer

Care Hospital - Dr Jagdish Kothari (specializing in dealing with gastrointestinal problems); Dr Kalpana Kothari (gynaecology); and Dr Hemang Baxi (urology) - presented details of 32 robotic surgeries performed on patients suffering from different cancers, in a press briefing on Thursday.

Kothari said that a robotic surgery involves the minimal incision of 1.55 cm which cuts down hospital stay and speeds up recovery. "Robotic surgery has proved fruitful especially for cancer patients as it allows 360-degree hand movement," Kothari said.

"Significantly, patients heal two weeks faster than those who have undergone open surgeries do, to be ready for chemotherapy or radiotherapy."

In robotic surgery, four robotic arms perform the procedure while the surgeon guides the arms through a console. Baxi said robotic arms can make precise incisions.