Wait. A Robot Will Do My Weight Loss Surgery?

Robots can aid your weight-loss surgeon, meaning you’ll likely recover more quickly.

We’re not talking about a human-like machine such as Rosie the Robot from the 1960s cartoon The Jetsons. This robot is more a combination of machinery, computer technology and special eyewear.

The surgeons who perform weight-loss surgery use robotics together with laparoscopic surgery to work more efficiently and even more safely than methods used in the past. Laparoscopy alone involves accessing your insides through a few small incisions, expanding your torso with Carbon Dioxide so the surgeon can see your organs, and making changes through those small holes. The robotic version is even much more advanced.

How Does Robotic Weight-loss Surgery Work?

Surgeons have been using robots for surgery since 2000. They added on bariatric operations after widespread success with urology and gynecology procedures.

Today, surgeons can use robotics for several types of bariatric surgery:

• Gastric bypass
• Sleeve gastrectomy
• Duodenal switch
• SADI-S
• Removing gastric bands
• Revisional Bariatric surgery

In every case, your doctor will still be completely involved in the surgery, sitting by your side the whole time. This is not a matter of pressing a button and watching automated equipment do the work. Using specific tools, the robots will do what doctors would otherwise do themselves. In reality, surgeons direct robotic arms with their own arms.

The technique is high-tech. A robotic arm will hold a computerized camera, as small as a dime, that provides a 3-dimensional view of your insides. Your surgeon will look into a console which is very similar to an airplane cockpit, this enables the surgeon to have a 3 dimensional view of the operative field, which looks 10 times larger than life and therefore is much clearer than what surgeons can see with only their eyes or using the traditional laparoscopic equipment.

Even nerves and small blood vessels will be vivid to the surgeon. Then, by moving their hands and eyes specific ways, the surgeon will guide the robotic arms to do what needs to be done.

Benefits of Robotic Weight Loss Surgery

While bariatric surgeons new to robotic weight-loss surgery might take a little longer in surgery than they would otherwise, seasoned medical professionals complete the operations in less time than before.

A shorter surgery means less anesthesia to keep you asleep. Robotic weight-loss surgery provides many other benefits:

• Fewer and smaller incisions — You’ll have four or five incisions instead of more incisions you’d have without robotics.
• Better angles —  The robots use smaller instruments than traditional open surgeons do, allowing them to get into smaller spaces at better angles. That’s more efficient and less invasive.
• Less bleeding — Since surgeons can see better, they can manipulate your tissue more easily. That leads to less bleeding and fewer complications.
• Blood flow monitoring — Using add-on technologies, surgeons can see the blood supply of the tissue which gives them a better idea about tissue healing to minimize risk of complications
• No tremors — A human hand can shake during surgery, while a robotic arm will always be steady.
• Lower risk of infection — The shorter and less invasive an operation is, the smaller the chance your body will develop an infection.
• Fewer complications — Studies show that robotic bariatric surgeries result in fewer complications than conventional laparoscopy.
• Shorter recovery —  With the operation more precise, more efficient and less invasive, you’ll probably heal more quickly and get to leave the hospital for home sooner.

What To Ask Your Surgeon

If you’re interested in having your weight-loss surgery performed robotically, and your surgeon has access to robotic equipment, ask these questions:

• How have you trained to do robotic surgery, and how many robotic bariatric procedures have you done? Look for a doctor who trained extensively through a respected program and has performed dozens, if not hundreds, of these procedures in recent years.
• Can you show me what the surgery will look like? Using props or videos, some surgeons will walk you through the details of what you’ll experience, with visuals.
• Can I see my procedure afterward? Some surgeons will record the whole surgery, with your permission, and share it with you afterward.

While weight-loss surgery will lead you to a healthier life, it’s a big undertaking. Trim your risks by choosing the safest route — robotics directed by a seasoned surgeon.