Robotic surgeons are about to trigger a "revolution in the health sector" | Scientific and technical news

By Noel Phillips, Sky News reporter

Surgeons operating on patients while controlling their robotic arms could become a new standard in hospitals.

The assistance of robots in the operating room should transform the way operations are performed by enabling surgeries to be performed as keyhole procedures.

As the use of robotic surgery is gaining popularity, a growing number of physicians are trained to use it. They allow doctors to perform complex techniques using a minimally invasive approach.

Consultant colorectal surgeon Jonathan Morton is one of the few doctors to have tried the machinery.

"It's exciting to see the deployment of robotic techniques – from an ergonomic point of view, the system is better configured to reduce body stress and reduce the number of injuries to surgeons.

"It's not the robot that operates, but the surgeon who has the experience and knowledge to explain to the robot what to do.In fact, it's the same as the surgery in hole lock with robotics. "

The robots have four flexible joints like a human arm and are controlled by a surgeon with the help of a joystick and a 3D screen. The technology is capable of performing a wide range of tasks.

CMR Surgical, the company behind the robot, says this technology will revolutionize healthcare.

The company's medical director, Mark Slack, said, "Our vision is that we have put in place a system that allows more patients to have an ADM (Minimal Access Surgery) and all the benefits it brings them – such as a reduction in complications, less pain – and the goal is to place them in as many hospitals as possible. "

The NHS is developing a £ 50 million robotic surgical equipment system, which will soon be rolled out across the country.

So, does the future of surgery lie in non-human hands?

Richard Kerr, of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), thinks he's about to change the nature of surgery forever.

"Robots will not do what surgeons do, they will become an integral part of their tools for using their patients," he said.

"Maybe in the distant future, some aspects of the surgery could possibly be run by robots."

According to the SCN, a majority of NHS trusts have guidelines that surgeons are required to follow when they use robotics