Surgery can be a daunting prospect. But as technology has developed some surgeries are now becoming minimally invasive. Below, we explore what a minimally invasive surgery is and how they work.
What is it?
A minimally invasive surgery is an operation where your surgeon uses smaller cuts and incisions to carry out the procedure. Usually, this means there’ll be fewer traumatic areas on the body as a result. By contrast, traditional surgery usually features one large cut so that the surgeon can see what they’re doing. But by utilising small tools, cameras and lights, a minimally invasive surgery can skip the large cut.
Robotic surgery and the conditions it treats
Robotic surgery, or robot assisted surgery is one form of minimally invasive surgery. This is where precise robotic tools will be used to carry out your intricate minimally invasive surgery. Robotic arms can make the tiny incisions required on a consistent basis, making the surgery safer. The surgeon will control the robotic arms while watching footage from a camera. This technique can help carry out surgeries to remove all sorts of different cancers and kidney stones, while it can also help carry out gastric bypasses and many other procedures.
Benefits
The main benefit of minimally invasive surgery is that it causes less trauma to the operation site. With smaller and fewer incisions, you lose less blood for a start. On top of this, you’ll have less damage to your muscles, skin and body. Plus, there’ll be a lower risk of infection and less obvious scars. All this combines to ensure that your recovery time will be much shorter.
Risks
As with any surgery, though, there are risks associated with minimally invasive surgery. This is chiefly because setting up the equipment and any robotics takes longer. This means that you’re under anesthesia for longer – and the more time you spend under, the more the risks of anesthesia increase. In rare and severe cases this can mean nerve damage, brain damage or death.
Minimally invasive surgery – when performed in the right situation – can bring many benefits to the patient. However, as with any medical procedure it can go wrong. In this situation you should get in touch with medical negligence solicitors to give you peace of mind that you’ll be awarded the compensation you need during recovery.
