Robotic surgery

Robotic surgery has evolved over the last 20 years with over 6 million procedures performed worldwide.
 

Robotic instruments have tiny wrist joints which can move like a human hand allowing complex tasks like suturing to be performed in confined spaces and with greater precision.

Mr Krishna Epari | Robotic surgeon
 

Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery

The da Vinci Xi surgical system helps enable your surgeon to perform robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery with an advanced set of instruments and a 3D high-definition magnified view of the surgical area. 
robotic surgery perth murdoch

da Vinci Xi surgical system

Dr Krishna Epari has been using the daVinci Xi surgical system for 5 years and has performed over 170 cases including a variety of Bariatric, Cancer and Hernia operations.

Your surgeon in control

The term “robotic” often misleads people. Robots don’t perform surgery. Your surgeon performs the surgery with da Vinci by using instruments that they control via a console.

The da Vinci system translates your surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, bending and rotating the instruments while performing the procedure.

“Conventional laparoscopic instruments are straight which limits their range of movement. Robotic instruments have tiny wrist joints which can move like a human hand allowing complex tasks like suturing to be performed in confined spaces and with greater precision.”
Mr Krishna Epari
Robotic Surgeon

The da Vinci System has 3 components:

  • Surgeon Console: After docking the Surgeon sits at the console and has full control of 3 instruments and a high-definition 3D camera
  • Patient Cart: Positioned alongside the bed, the patient cart has robotic arms that hold the camera and instruments which the Surgeon controls from the console
  • Vision Cart: Communicates between the components and has the computer processor “brains” of the system

Advantages

  • Stable camera compared to being held by a human arm
  • 3D high-definition magnified view
  • Endowrist instruments provide increased range of movements
  • Improves Surgeons dexterity and precision whilst reducing tremor and fatigue
  • Better access to confined spaces and parts of the body that are hard to reach
  • Intelligent stapling senses tissue thickness and improves correct staple formation
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Disadvantages

  • Robotic surgery has increased equipment costs which may be passed on to patients by hospitals as they are not all covered by Health Funds

UPDATE (2024): At St John of God Hospital Murdoch there are no longer any additional Robotic consumable fees charged by the hospital for:

  • All Robotic Cancer Surgery procedures
  • Other Robotic procedures - Most Health funds are now covered (including HBF, Medibank Private, BUPA, AHSA Funds), Excludes (NIB/Honeysuckle Health funds)

This means most patients can now have Robotic surgery without any increased hospital costs compared to conventional laparoscopic surgery.

“For complex operations like Gastric Bypass some studies have shown reduced complication rates including leaks and bleeding.”
Mr Krishna Epari
Robotic Surgeon

In summary

Robotic surgery is ideal for performing complex abdominal operations including:

  • Single Anastomosis Duodenal switch (SIPS)
  • Single Anastomosis Gastric Bypass
  • Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
  • Total or Subtotal Gastrectomy
  • Distal Pancreatectomy
  • Revision surgery
  • Hiatus Hernia surgery
  • Abdominal Wall Hernia surgery

Surgeons performing Robotic Surgery:

Mr Krishna Epari Co-Director of Upper GI West. He is a highly trained Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon with expertise in Upper Gastro-Intestinal, Bariatric, Robotic and Endoscopic surgery