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It may look like a space-age video game, but it's a demonstration of the latest high-tech approach to surgery... a robot named Da Vinci.
Coyness Ennix, Cardiac Surgeon: "NUMEROUS SURGERIES CAN BE DONE WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING PROSTATECTOMIES, HEART SURGERY, MANY GASTROINTESTINAL SURGERIES, OBESITY SURGERY, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. IT'S REALLY REVOLUTIONARY."
"YOU'RE GOING TO PUT YOUR FINGERS IN HERE, AND THE PINCHING ACTION IS WHAT OPENS AND CLOSES THOSE GRASPERS THAT YOU'VE GOT."
Joshua Elliott, 18, found it easy to use.
Joshua Elliott: "IT FELT LIKE I WAS ACTUALLY DOING IT WITH MY HANDS."
With four arms and exquisite precision, Da Vinci is changing how surgeons operate, helping them do more through smaller incisions.
Steven Stanten, General Surgeon: "IT'S GOING TO EXPAND WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO. SOME THINGS THAT WE COULDN'T DO BEFORE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO ROTATE, AND ARTICULATE TO SEW THINGS TOGETHER AT DIFFERENT ANGLES, WE CAN NOW DO VERY EASILY."
I was impressed by the magnification-- fifteen times greater than what you normally see.
Cardiac surgeon, Doctor Coyness Ennix, sees big benefits for patients. He says even something as complex as heart bypass surgery is getting easier with Da Vinci.
Dr. Ennix: "WITH A SMALLER INCISION, GETTING BACK TO WORK SOONER, LESS DISCOMFOT, LESS ANXIETY."
But there is a learning curve, something Florence Barsotti appreciated.
Florence Barsotti: "WELL, I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS EASY TO LEARN, BUT YOU'D HAVE TO PRACTICE IT FOR AWHILE TO PERFECT YOUR MOVEMENTS."
"YOU'RE READY TO OPERATE?"
"NO, NOT ... I THANK YOU."
It's a computer-assisted robot that still depends on the human touch to make it work.
