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NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART, ROBOTICALLY ASSISTED SURGERY TO HELP PATIENTS RECOVER MORE QUICKLY
02 June 2005 - Boston University
| Robotically assisted surgery allows the surgeon to perform a complicated surgery using minimally invasive techniques that are less traumatic for the patient; it also lowers the complication rate, according to Richard Babayan, MD, chief of Urology at BMC and professor of urology at Boston University School of Medicine. “There is less blood loss and faster healing. Some patients go home the day after surgery, which is something you couldn’t do before using the old, open procedure.” |
The surgeon is able to see the patient three dimensionally through a two-camera system, according to Babayan. The robot is controlled by sensors, which are attached to the surgeon’s fingers. The surgeon then manipulates the hand movements of the robot to perform the desired function, eliminating tremor and enabling ambidexterity. The robot’s range of motion is more extensive than the human hand and wrist. Patients in need of complex surgery used to have to travel to a hospital in Connecticut for this leading-edge robotic technology; patient cases have since increased at BMC. The da Vinci tm robot is used by surgeons in the Urology and Cardiothoracic Surgery Departments, making BMC among the elite hospitals in Boston to mount a widespread use of robotic technology by two departments. BMC’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Department has already performed seven operations utilizing robotic-assisted surgery for procedures such as coronary bypass, repairing mitral valves and repairing holes in the upper chambers of the heart. The Urology Department has performed 11 operations, using the technology for prostate removal of localized prostate cancer and reconstruction of the kidney for obstruction. “What would have been a six-week recovery time for one of our patients has been reduced to two to three weeks because we can now perform certain operations without opening up the whole chest cavity. With the da Vinci robot we are now able to make the next quantum leap forward in this surgical area," said Richard Shemin, M.D., chairman of Cardiothoracic Surgery at BMC and professor of cardiothoracic surgery at BUSM. The robot was originally developed by NASA and the U.S. Military for operations performed at long distances. Through the robot’s assistance, a surgeon is able to operate by making a small, rather than a large, incision. Small incisions and reduced spreading of the incision leads to less blood loss and reduced pain for the patient, according to Shemin, who has performed over 7,000 open-heart operations.
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Boston University has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in research in a wide range of disciplines and a demonstrated commitment to fostering innovative interdisciplinary research. The Office of the Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Education supports the University in facilitating research at the both the student and faculty levels.Our mission is to enhance and encourage research at Boston University and to provide a climate conducive to maintaining the University at the cutting edge of research and scholarly activities. We work with the Boston University community to plan and coordinate interdisciplinary research and represent the University in research matters related to Inter-University consortia. To encourage new, innovative, and cross-disciplinary efforts, this office administers the Special Program for Research Initiation Grants (SPRInG). We showcase graduate research at Science & Technology Day. This annual event features nearly 200 research posters by graduate students from both the Medical and Charles River Campuses working in a wide range of disciplines. Our annual research magazine, Research at Boston University, informs a wide audience about a selection of our significant research findings and ongoing studies at Boston University. We also maintain a strong presence on the web through this site and through the Science Coalition’s website, which brings our research successes to the attention of Congress and other policy makers in the federal government. To assist Boston University researchers, this office oversees the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and coordinates with the Office of Sponsored Programs on the Charles River Campus , the research administration on the Medical Campus, the Office of Research Compliance, and the various graduate programs. For the development of commercially viable ideas, we administer the Provost's Innovation Fund and work closely with the Office of Technology Transfer. We also coordinate proposals where there are institutional limits to the number of proposals that may be submitted, cost sharing requirements, significant laboratory renovations, or other special circumstances. This office assists departments and centers to achieve a diverse faculty and graduate student body through our membership and activities with the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and through our affiliation with the Clare Boothe Luce program of the Henry Luce Foundation. |
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