Minimally Invasive Surgery

CHKD Embraces Robotic-Assisted Surgery with the da Vinci System 

While “robotic-assisted surgery” might conjure futuristic images of machines operating on humans, da Vinci technology is better understood as an extension of the surgeon’s hands. The surgeon is in the operating room and seated at the da Vinci system console. While cameras magnify the surgeon’s view up to 10 times what can be seen by the human eye, the surgeon maneuvers robotic instruments that move like human hands, but with an extended range of motion and increased precision. The technology first received FDA approval in 2000 and has since become a widely accepted tool for surgeons.

“By equipping our medical professionals with the tools and expertise they need to use advanced surgical technology, we ensure our pediatric patients receive the best possible outcomes through minimally invasive procedures,” says Dr. Robert Obermeyer, Vice President and Chief of Surgery at CHKD. “We are committed to pioneering the future of pediatric surgery through the use of the most advanced robotic technology available.”

CHKD surgeons perform approximately 40 robotic cases per year. Minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery have become routine for cases in which delicate suturing is required or the target organ is difficult to access.

The da Vinci surgical system was pioneered in 1995 and is now used by more than 60,000 surgeons around the world who have performed more than 10 million surgical procedures.

What are the advantages?

With robotic-assisted surgery, we perform the same surgical procedures while patients benefit from smaller incisions with fewer narcotics, which are important factors for kids having surgery. These minimally invasive procedures result in less pain and blood loss, quicker discharges home, and shorter recovery times, allowing school-age children and working families to get back to school and work faster.

How does it work?

The surgeon is in the operating room, seated at the da Vinci system console, through which the surgeon controls tiny instruments that move like human hands but with a better range of motion and higher precision. A 3D high definition camera is also part of the system. Mounted on an endoscope, it magnifies up to 10 times what the human eye can see.

Some people assume that the da Vinci system is fully robotic, but it’s actually an extension of the surgeons’ hands. They control every move using natural wrist and finger motions.  

 
In a CHKD operating room, pediatric urologist and Chief of Pediatric Urology Dr. Janelle Fox uses the da Vinci robotic surgical system (shown at left) to perform a minimally invasive urological procedure, as Dr. Cameron Barruga, urology resident, assists at the patient’s side.

What types of procedures can be performed this way?

While the da Vinci system can be used for many different types of surgery, at CHKD, it is most often used by our pediatric urologists and general pediatric surgeons for surgeries of the abdomen or chest. Robotics can also be used for orthopedic surgery, abdominal surgery, and even some cardiac and ENT surgeries. "I truly believe that most of our surgeries over the next few decades will evolve into much more precise and less invasive techniques, thanks to technology like the da Vinci," says Dr. Janelle Fox, pediatric urologist and Chief of Pediatric Urology at CHKD.