Reed Hutchinson Dr. Peter Schulam works with Zeus Robot,
an example of the types of technology that will be combined to
create a surgical teaching system.
By Ellen Kang
Daily Bruin Contributor
A new robotic technology now allows surgeons-in-training to no
longer learn by standing aside while another surgeon performs, but
by simultaneously operating on a patient with the guiding hand of
an experienced doctor.
The UCLA School of Medicine and the Computer Motion Inc., along
with doctors from different universities, have created a new
surgical robotic system that allows surgeons to follow along with
an operation taking place anywhere in the world through a video
connection.
“The surgery can increase how to operate and increase
accessibility of new techniques,” said Peter Schulam, chief
of the division of endourology and laparoscopy at the UCLA Medical
Center.
The training system is based on the integration of four of
Computer Motion’s FDA-cleared robotic surgical systems and
features Zeus, a robotic system that minimizes the large incisions
performed on the patient. The system will include two identical
surgeon consoles with shared control of a single set of
“arms” used to operate on the same patient, like a
pilot and co-pilot.
Whether the surgery is taking place in the same room or in two
remote locations, the new system allows both trainer and trainee to
operate on the same person or animal at the same time.
For example, while a surgeon is operating on the East Coast, a
trainee in Los Angeles, sitting at a console, can see the image
through a video connection and follow the surgeon through the
operation.
Such senses are due to “haptic” feedback, which
allows the surgeons-in-training to feel their mentor’s
actions through console controls and experience surgery through the
hands of an expert.
The new surgeon can benefit from the hands-on experience while
the trainer has actual control of the surgery to prevent mistakes,
said E. Carmack Holmes, chair of the department of surgery.
James Atkinson, chief of pediatric surgery, said the surgical
robotic system will be able to perform complex surgery and provide
better precision.
Because the instruments are extremely small, they enable
surgeons to go into any area and make small incisions, which
provide patients with a faster healing rate and less trauma, Holmes
said. Also, the image of the operating region can be magnified to a
greater degree, aiding surgeons’ visibility.
The robotic surgery is in its beginning stages, but surgeons
believe the outcome will be highly beneficial in making surgery
easier for both patient and doctor.
Stephen Pedroff, vice president of corporate relations for
Computer Motion, said the system will be commercially available in
two to three years.
“Right now, it’s in a state of evolution.
Instruments need to be more fine and easily manipulated.
We’re just beginning to take off with this new
creation,” Holmes said.
The system was funded by a $2 million grant from the National
Institute of Standards Advanced Technology.