Jason Smith was blown away the first time he was introduced to robotic technology in an operating room.
It was about a decade ago, when the technology was first starting to hit the market.
“When you look at it and you see what we’re calling the robotic arm … It’s amazing what these surgeons can do,” he said.
Now, Smith is the director of surgical services for Memorial Hospital of Tampa, a department that uses that same technology, called the Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery System for dozens of knee- and hip-replacement surgeries each month.
Use of robotics technology within the health care system, especially for surgical procedures, is more and more becoming commonplace for American surgeons. Memorial purchased the Mako system in late 2018 due to surgeon demand, and has plans for continued growth of its robotics program in the coming years.
A strong robotics program is crucial to attracting quality surgeons to the hospital, Smith said.
“These young surgeons coming out of residency today, most of them are getting trained in some kind of robotics. They’re looking for a facility that can offer those services,” he said. “This has helped us recruit some of Tampa Bay’s most quality and reputable surgeons.”
After all, the technology is a huge benefit to patients, he explained.
In traditional knee or hip replacements, a surgeon places a metal jig, or pre-measured cutting block on top of the bone and then uses it as guide to cut away the diseased tissue. But with the Mako system, surgeons transfer a 3D model of the person’s knee or hip into the robot’s software, specifying precise restrictions for where cuts can and cannot be made. Then, the surgeon uses a robotic arm to work at the correct angles and locations to remove only the impacted area.
“It helps target only the diseased bone, sparing the healthy bone and tissue … (and) eliminates some of the opportunity for error – accidentally taking too much bone, or making an incorrect angle,” he said.
The Mazor spine navigation system applies a similar approach to Mako, but is designed for spinal surgeries, such as fusions.
The hospital’s most frequently used robotic technology, though, is the da Vinci surgical system, Smith said. The da Vinci allows surgeons to use up to four robotic arms during general surgeries and a multitude of procedures including hernia repair, bariatric and gyn/pelvic floor surgery.
Outside the operating room, Memorial’s corporate owner, Hospital Corporation of America, uses high tech mannequins in its Brandon simulation lab for specialized nurses training.
“These robotic patients do everything: Pulses, blood pressures, eyes that digitally dilate” and even produce fluid, he said.
While he doesn’t see a time when a surgery would be performed 100% remotely, Smith anticipates surgeon demand will drive a steady, continued expansion and investment in the use of robots in Memorial’s operating rooms, and throughout the American hospital system.
“(Surgeons) want this technology for their surgeries, that’s driving the different hospitals to invest in the technology and creates a safer environment for the patients,” he said.
Regardless of the technological improvements, however, Smith believes that what truly sets Memorial Hospital of Tampa apart is a staff committed to “compassion and empathy above all else.”
