Device dramatically reduces recovery time by making smaller incisions

AMY WINKLER/Arizona Daily Wildcat

UMC surgeon Dr. Sanjay Ramakumar explains voice commands given to the robotic arm and shown on a screen, foreground, yesterday afternoon at UMC. The robotic arm cuts down on recovery time for patients recovering from kidney surgery.

An innovative kidney procedure being performed at UMC uses a robot arm to cut a patient's recovery time in half, without increasing the cost of surgery.

The robot arm - known as AESOP - is voice-activated and responds to certain commands pre-recorded by the surgeon. The arm acts as a camera holder for the surgeon while he is performing the procedure, which makes the procedure more efficient.

"I know that I get less stressed. It's easier for me," said Dr. Sanjay Ramakumar, assistant professor of surgery and director of minimally invasive urologic surgery at University Medical Center.

The new procedure makes three small incisions in the abdomen, which minimizes the amount of scarring. The old procedure requires a single, large incision, and the patient takes about six to eight weeks to recover.

"I think the recovery (time) of the patients is wonderful (after using the robotic arm)," Ramakumar said.

However he said, there are some potential complications with this new procedure, such as bleeding, infection, tissue or organ injury and having to convert to the standard, more invasive surgery

UMC is the first Tucson hospital to use the robot for this type of kidney surgery, but it is not the only one to have a robotic arm.

Tucson Medical Center has been using the $100,000 device to conduct abdomen surgeries on patients for eight months. But UMC is the only local hospital that uses them for transplants.

TMC spokesman Michael Letson said the robotic arm eliminates a great deal of surgeon error.

"It gives you an extra set of hands that are very precise and skilled." Letson said.

The past kidney procedure required two surgeons and a nurse, while the new procedure requires only one surgeon and the nurse.

The robotic arm replaces the other surgeon, who normally had to hold a camera for the entire procedure.

"That takes the fatigue factor out of it," Ramakumar said.

He said he believes the robotic arm will lead to many new advances in surgical technology including the widespread use of the procedure with prostate removal.

"We hope to start doing prostate removals within a year," Ramakumar said.