System Safety in Healthcare

Abstract

Laparoscopic robotic surgeries allow surgeons to make much smaller incisions than those used in traditional surgeries. When surgeons insert special instruments through small cuts in a patient’s body, they can use a video monitor and laparoscope (a tiny video camera) to view what’s happening inside the body and perform the operation. Using these instruments, the surgeon doesn’t have to manually reach into the patient, leading to a minimally invasive experience. Surgeons can make several small cuts instead of one large cut, each typically no more than a half-inch long. Yet laparoscopic surgeries are not without risk. Even highly used surgical robots, such as the da Vinci robot, have had their share of issues. Complications can occur due to the patient’s condition and the type of surgery being performed.