Robotic Prostatectomy: What Happens When Robots Fail

Also known as Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy, robotic prostatectomy is a
minimally invasive type of prostate cancer surgery that utilizes a robotic surgical unit
called the da Vinci system. This prostate surgery is a revolutionary and advanced
procedure that profoundly reduces blood loss, pain, recovery time, hospital stays, trauma
to surrounding tissue and the drastically reduced side effects of other treatments such as
incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
In robotic surgery, the surgeon performs the procedure at a console 10 feet away from the
patient. From the console, the surgeon’s movements are communicated to the tip of
robotic hands. With the use of the da Vinci robot, robotic prostatectomy patients not only
have a better cure rate, there is less blood loss and need for transfusions. Additionally,
hospital stays are shorter. Most importantly, since the nerves are spared in this type of
procedure, there are fewer incidences of incontinence and impotence, which allows for a
better quality of life.
However, while each patient case is individual and their recovery is different, the
experience of the surgeon is of paramount importance. This is crucial for those rare
instances when the robot fails to perform and the surgeon then has to switch over to
traditional open or laproscopic expertise to complete the surgery. This arsenal of
experience is important not only for this procedure, but in other surgeries. The da Vinci
robot, which costs an estimated $1.5-1.8 million dollars, will soon be used in bladder and
kidney removals and hysterectomies. Since the learning curve for robotic surgeries is so
steep, the versatility of experience is the key to success in successful prostate removal
surgeries.