The Surgical Robot

Amid the striking technological advances of the past few years across every field — and in medicine above all — relying on robots in surgery has become an important medical advance. It allows surgeons to perform precise and complex operations through small openings in the body, which reduces and eases the patient's pain, greatly reduces blood loss so that the patient does not need large volumes of blood to replace it, and shortens recovery time after surgery.

• Surgeons worldwide perform around 300 million operations a year, according to the World Health Organization.

• By the start of 2023, around 11 million operations had been carried out with the help of surgical robots.

• The number of surgical robots in hospitals worldwide is estimated at around 7,500.

• The robot assists surgeons across many types of surgery, especially high-risk procedures demanding great precision, including:

  • Removal of brain tumours.

  • Retinal surgery.

  • Cardiac surgery.

  • Organ transplantation.

The surgical robot applies specialised technology to extend the capabilities of the surgeon's hands. It allows the surgeon to operate in hard-to-reach areas through small openings and incisions that the surgeon's own hand cannot reach, or that would otherwise require a wider, larger opening. The technology also allows finer movement of the surgical instruments and better magnification of the operating field.

The technology generally consists of:

• Surgical arms with precision instruments and a pair of wrists at the tip. These arms move and rotate freely in every direction, serving as an extra arm for the surgeon to work in complex or hard-to-reach areas.

• A special camera providing magnified three-dimensional views of the operating field.

• A console through which the surgeon controls every movement of the instruments and the camera.

• Lower risk of infection:
  small surgical incisions reduce the risk of infection and other complications.

• Better surgical vision:
  the surgical robot gives the surgeon a magnified three-dimensional view of the operating field, allowing them to see better.

• Less physical strain on the surgeon:
  using the surgical robot reduces the surgeon's physical strain, allowing greater focus on the operation, less time per case, and more operations in a single day.

• Greater surgical precision:
  more than 2,000 precision operations a year across multiple specialties, and greater ability for the surgeon to reach difficult areas.

• Better patient outcomes:
  a 20% reduction in the average length of hospital stay, a 25% reduction in blood transfusions, and a 15% reduction in complications within the first year.

• Cost effectiveness:
  lower surgery-related costs through shorter stays and fewer transfusions and complications.

• Enhanced reputation for the hospital:
  building the hospital's reputation as a centre of excellence for advanced robotic surgery in the Madinah region.

• Better surgical practice:
  moving from conventional surgery to robot-assisted techniques to improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.

• Increased revenue:
  using the robotic platform to raise hospital revenue, improve procedural efficiency and treat more patients.

• Educational and research contribution:
  delivering the hospital's educational and research objectives.

• The mechanical surgical robot can move freely in every direction to operate in complex, hard-to-reach positions.

• The surgery is gentle and agile, which reduces the complications that occur.

• The three-dimensional imaging system lets surgeons see the details of the organ clearly, including blood vessels and nerves, helping them operate in exactly the right place.

• The surgical robot has no limits of movement, so neither patient nor doctor need worry about the hand tremor surgeons can experience.

• A small surgical wound, so patients feel less pain, recover faster, and spend less time in hospital
  (the result: the hospital can take on more patients needing surgery and shorten its waiting lists).

1. Less pain during recovery.

2. Lower risk of infection.

3. Less blood loss during surgery and less blood needed by the patient during the operation.

4. Shorter hospital stays.

5. Smaller scars at the site of surgery.

What the patient gains:
Recovery after robotic surgery is far shorter, which brings the patient the following benefits:

• Getting out of bed shortly after the anaesthetic wears off.

• Being able to eat within a few hours of surgery.

• Going home the same day or the next.

• All patients scheduled for surgery will benefit from this project, and particularly those needing removal of brain tumours, retinal surgery, cardiac surgery and organ transplantation.
• Once the technology is introduced at the hospital, (2,000) patients a year are expected to benefit, as it can perform more than 2,000 precision operations a year across multiple specialties, with the focus on improving clinical outcomes and reducing treatment-related costs.

Number of operations:
2,000 operations a year.

Cost:
SAR 22 million.

Location:

• King Faisal Specialist Hospital – Madinah.

• The Madinah region and all its governorates and cities.