Robo-surgeon to the rescue? (From Haringey Independent)

Robo-surgeon to the rescue?

8:30am Friday 29th August 2008

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He comes to the rescue, saving lives with his steely strength and cold exterior. He works in isolation, holding patients' futures in his hands. And he also runs off electricity. His name is Robo-Surgeon.

The news this week that Tottenham pensioner James Arnold had undergone dangerous surgery at the hands of a robot - and survived to tell the tale - should have been welcome. It cuts risks, reduces recovery time and means more patients can be treated.

I however blanched at the idea of a mechanical arm being let loose to worm its way up my arteries. To me there is something very comforting about knowing you are in the hands of two or three competent surgeons, a few nurses and technicians for an operation. Now the only doctor in the operating theatre could be running off batteries or plugged into the wall.

Call me old fashioned but I would much prefer a veteran surgeon stitching up an internal organ than a robot. I know surgeons use many different types of machines for operations - you get hooked up to monitors through every orifice - but at the end of the day you still have a human being who is responsible for keeping you alive.

Although this is the first vascular operation performed by a robot, there have been other cases of them undertaking brain and heart surgery. It seems to be setting a dangerous precedent for surgeons, who could easily take a back seat from now on - quite literally - and operate the robot from an armchair.

The only medical procedure I have had was a lumbar puncture, to tap fluid from my spine and check for meningitis. Anyone who has ever had this done, or seen it performed on a weekly basis in the TV drama House, would know that it’s quite a painful procedure. I felt much better though with a doctor talking me through the procedure and gently trying to assuage my fears. If it were carried out by a robot instead, would I need to dial 1 for comforting reassurances, 2 to find out my diagnosis or 3 for a list of possible treatments?

Much of our life is now automated - we can deal with the bank, order cinema tickets or inform the school your child is sick, all through the use of an automated and robotic service. Let’s leave surgeons with their autonomy intact.

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