$2.1 million robot enhances surgery at Beebe

It may not have eyes, legs or a brain, but a new robot at Beebe Medical Center could be a vital player in your next surgery. 

The organization's Lewes Center for Robotic Surgery, which opened this summer, has assisted in more than 50 surgeries so far. Beebe expects that number to jump to 100 in the next quarter.

The latest technology promises surgeries that are less invasive than a traditional human hands-on procedure, leading to smaller incisions, less pain and a quicker recovery.

"The whole field of surgery is under a major transformation" because of the upsurge in robotic-assisted procedures, said Dr. Kurt Wehberg, who leads Beebe's robotic program. "It allows for a minimally invasive platform."

Patients have gone from taking months off to being back to work within a few weeks, he added.

"It allows us to get folks out of the hospital quicker and gives us the capacity to bring more patients in," said Rick Schaffner, Beebe's chief operating officer.

So far, 90 percent of Beebe patients who went under the robotic-assisted knife did not need to take the narcotics they likely would have been prescribed after a major surgery for the same procedure.

The robot also benefits the practitioner: It can bend and "look" down without developing the chronic back issues that push most surgeons out of the field by age 60, Wehberg said. 

Wehberg, who has performed 600 robotic-assisted surgeries in his life, estimates the new center saves Beebe between $100,000 and $200,000 a month in expenses since patients are spending less time in the hospital. 

A company called Intuitive Surgical built the robot Beebe uses. Dubbed the da Vinci Surgical System, it's four "arms" are the robotic equivalent to the Vitruvian Man.

The robot, which cost $2.1 million itself, can remove tumors, cut away cancer tissue and perform kidney transplants. Minimally invasive thoracic, general, bariatric, cardio and urology surgeries can all be performed at the center with less trauma to the patient. 

Think of robotic-assisted procedures less like artificial intelligence and more as an extension of human capabilities: The surgeon sits at a console next to the patient, peering into the open cavity through a 3D high-definition camera. 

The surgeon's hands slide into special gloves that give them full control over the robot, which is precise enough to suture a grape. 

More:Meet Surgio, the robotic surgeon at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children

"Every hand movement is translated by the da Vinci system in real-time to bend and rotate the instruments," per Beebe's website.

It scales down more precisely than what human hands could do in such a small space. There is "nothing compared to a robot," which is capable of one millimeter movements, Wehberg added. 

Plasma TVs are on display that allow the surgical team to monitor the procedure. Wehberg likens the robotic-assisted surgical team, which he calls "the most important part of the center," to a symphony. 

"Each piece of music is important to the overall sound and end product," he said, adding that one hundred people make up the team. 

Dr. Jeffrey Hawtof, Beebe's chief medical officer, calls the program a "great way to enhance surgery."

It combines all the accurate, tiny movements of the robot with the skill set of a surgeon, Schaffner said.

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