Robot Revolution

Feature image graphic courtesy of Lilah Powlas

Graphic by Scout Rice

When I think of da Vinci, I think of the Mona Lisa, Italy, and the blue Ninja Turtle. But what doesn’t cross my mind? A giant four-legged robot spider hovering over an open body cavity in the operating room.

Thanks to having a surgeon for a dad, I’ve heard plenty about the da Vinci over Saturday night fish tacos. Approved by the FDA in 2000, the da Vinci Surgical System is a robot surgeon, to put it simply. Since its introduction, there have only been 2,501 installed in America. The $2 million price tag may be Kylie Jenner’s weekly allowance, but for smaller hospitals it’s not affordable.

The da Vinci is made up of a mobile tower which is a bulky structure with four arms that resembles the claw machine that constantly screws you over when all you want is a new beanie baby. Of the four arms, three hold varying surgical instruments while the fourth holds a 3D camera. The surgeon sits at a separate console a few feet away, which offers a 360 degree view of the surgical site, courtesy of the 3D camera. Hand and foot pedals allow the surgeon full control of the machine but place an unreliable robot as a barrier between doctor and patient. An assistant remains close to the patient, acting as a babysitter for the sometimes temperamental machine.  

Hospitals are accustomed to da Vinci salesmen pestering them about the latest da Vinci model. But in a circumstance where 4,000 people are injured from surgical errors every year, I want a human, not a “Robocop” extra, there to stop me from bleeding out on the table. People shouldn’t base their decision off of the newness, but rather the advantages gained and the safety aspect. I have no desire to leave my life in the cold, metal arms of a robot.

The da Vinci system was used in about 1.7 million procedures from 2004 to 2013 according to Forbes. However, not all surgeries are a success. The FDA reported a case where the robotic arms collided which led to an instrument striking the patient’s bowel. Not just that, but forceps got stuck to one of the robot’s arms. I would hightail my ass out of there, hospital gown and all, if the hunk of metal couldn’t tell my arm from my stomach.  

I’m all for technological advancements as demonstrated by the three Amazon Alexa’s and iPhone Xs in my house — but robots in surgery aren’t necessary. I don’t see the appeal in letting something without an actual brain poke holes in me. Besides, robotic surgery is just a fancier and pricier version of a technique already being used — laparoscopic surgery.

Laparoscopic surgery, or minimally invasive surgery, uses small incisions and the aid of a camera to operate in the abdomen and pelvic area. There’s no machine to maneuver: it’s just a camera, instruments, and the surgeon. I’d feel more comfortable without the third-wheeling robot to worry about.

The da Vinci boasts shorter recovery time, minimal invasiveness and smaller incisions than typical surgery. However, laparoscopic surgery provides the same recovery window and I don’t have to worry about being attacked by a droid.  

The advantages between the two kinds of operations parallel each other. And having a cyborg poke with it’s sharp claws at your gallbladder is pricy. A 13-year period study by Stanford found that robotic surgeries cost $2,700 more per patient.

According to davincisurgery.com, the robot is used for multiple different operations including urologic, gynecologic and colorectal surgeries. It can also be used to remove cancer but Health Research Funding claims there’s a higher chance that some of the cancer will be left behind if the operation is performed by the surgical system. The whole point of having cancer-removing surgery is to actually REMOVE the cancer, not leave behind scraps for a (human) doctor to fix.  

Look, I’m not some pioneer girl who wants to rid the world of tech and go back to the days where leeches were applied to heal all illnesses. But, we have a long way to go considering our current advancement can’t keep its hands to itself — no pun intended.

Hopefully I won’t ever need surgery but if I do, you can bet it will be a human whose voice I listen to as I drift into my amnesia. Especially when there’s a safe, similar procedure already offered that doesn’t put my life in the hands of a character from “WALL-E.”