Impact of the robotic assistance on surgical practice

The Da Vinci (R) robot has strongly changed the surgical practice, mainly due to the technical characteristics and the consequences of the high cost of the device. The loss of direct intraoperative contact between patient and surgeon has led to the delegation of safety procedures to the bedside scrub assistant responsibility. The loss of tactile feedback is another change compensated by the quality of the three-dimensional vision. Combined with the degree of mobility at the tip of the instruments the robotic device increases the surgical possibilities. The use of dedicated simulators decreases the learning curve for the new surgeon. Finally the high cost of the device has led to changes in the patient recruitment toward centers with robotic equipment.