Precision, quicker recovery help robotic surgeries gain traction

Kolkata: Robotic surgeries have increased manifold over the last three years at Kolkata’s private hospitals, helping a quicker recovery, especially those requiring deep incisions and complex procedures involving multiple organs. They are more precise and reduce the convalescing period, say doctors, who pointed out that robotic procedures are minimally invasive that involve small incisions.

Till 2020, Kolkata had seen less than a dozen robotic procedures. Since then, more than 800 such surgeries have been done. With more hospitals set to introduce the technology, the number could rise further.

While at least four private hospitals in Kolkata offer robotic surgeries, IPGMER was set to be the first state hospital to have the state-of-the-art facility four years ago. But it was deferred due to the pandemic and IPGMER has now put forward a new proposal to the state health department.

A 16-year-old student who had his Class X board exams just four days away underwent a robotic decortication to extract pus that had formed between his lungs and inner surface of the chest at a private hospital off EM Bypass last March. He recovered quick enough to be able to take his exams on the hospital premises. His speedy recovery was made possible by robotic surgery, according to Amitabha Chakrabarti, senior consultant (robotic, thoracic & vascular surgery) at RN Tagore hospital (RTIICS) who led the procedure.

“Robotic arms are more precise and since they eliminate the tremor of hands, any surgeon can use them to conduct a successful operation. This technology is a marriage of artificial intelligence with the human brain,” said IPGMER professor Diptendra Sarkar. Apollo, Medica, CMRI and Tata Medical Centre, other than RTIICS, are the only other hospitals in the region that offer robotic surgery. While RTIICS has performed over 100 robotic surgeries till March 2023, Medica has conducted around 330.

Arunava Roy, senior consultant at Medica Cancer Hospital, said: “We have analysed the results and concluded that patients experience minimal discomfort, need limited antibiotics, almost no blood transfusions and are discharged early in case of robotic surgeries,” said Roy.