This is personalization in thoracic surgery thanks to the Da Vinci robot

Minimally invasive robotics achieves greater precision in cancer patients and faster recovery

The name of Da Vinci is already familiar to a large number of patients, as this novel robotics has become a tool in different diseases. An example of this is thoracic surgery, a field in which there are more and more possibilities: “We are expanding the number of indications. The most common pathologies are lung tumors, mediastinal tumors, benign lung lesions, thoracic cysts, etc. We constantly redefine the limits of the technique so that it can reach more patients, "says Dr. Javier Moradiellos, head of the Thoracic Surgery Service at the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital, whose team was the first in Spain to perform robotic lung surgery in 2015 and continues being the one with the most experience.

Robotic thoracic surgery with Da Vinci constitutes the most advanced technique in minimally invasive interventions, which translates into clear advantages for patients, such as less aggression and more effective recoveries, as well as for the surgeon, able to visualize the surgical field in a immersive, three-dimensional and high definition environment, incomparable with other techniques. Thanks to this, “the postoperative periods are less painful and shorter, there is less blood loss and the recovery of quality of life is faster. On the other hand, the instruments, similar to miniature hands, perform fine movements with great precision within the thorax ", explains Dr. Moradiellos, who highlights that" fragile patients particularly benefit from robotic thoracic surgery as it is less invasive " .

People with cancer are part of the most vulnerable group of affected people and in them this method is usually the most indicated. “From an oncology point of view, robotic thoracic surgery is very thorough. The definition of the extent of the disease is precise and reliable and this makes the indication for additional consolidation treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy more well founded. On the other hand, patients are more quickly able to tolerate them after minimally invasive surgery. For this reason, the benefits of robotic surgery have a positive impact on all phases of the treatment of malignant thoracic diseases ”, says the specialist.

However, there are cases in which, due to the size of the tumor, which must be removed in its entirety for analysis, Da Vinci is not a reasonable alternative. «A history of severe pleuropulmonary infections or previous interventions may also advise against the technique. The objective is not to perform robotic surgery at all costs, but rather to prioritize patient safety and a specialized assessment by a specialist is essential ”, acknowledges Dr. Moradiellos.

A good example of this is the case of JL, a patient who, after overcoming Covid-19, was diagnosed with a thoracic tumor. His delicate health situation made him an ideal candidate for minimally invasive surgery through this robotics, although his financial circumstances did not allow him to opt for it. However, it was possible last summer thanks to the altruistic donation of another patient operated on with this technology who donated 20,000 euros to pay for DaVinci surgeries to those who could not afford it.

Thus, this robotics is part of a very promising present, but it glimpses an even more promising future, since, according to Dr. Moradiellos, «in the coming years we will witness advances such as artificial intelligence applied to surgical decision-making and image recognition systems. Robotic surgery will be an increasingly personalized surgery.