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Snuffing Out Surgical Smoke - December 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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adds Dmitry Oleynikov, MD, FACS, professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine in Omaha. "Ultimately, this technology will let surgeons do more audacious and complex surgeries without big incisions." Dr. Oleynikov says robots are being used for "just about every single abdominal operation you can think of" in inpatient settings. "For out- patient surgical cases," he says, "things like inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, gallbladder — fairly straightforward, low-risk procedures — are being done with robots." Yet a robot like the da Vinci is a difficult proposition for outpatient ORs, says Dr. Oleynikov, citing these factors. • Size. "The robot is big, so it requires a pretty large OR," he says. "Most [same-day] ORs are smaller." • Staff training. "Robots are complicated," he says. "They require docking, undocking, maneuvering and positioning." • Reimbursement. The procedures in ASCs are reimbursed less than the same types of procedures in hospitals. "An expensive robot that may take additional time to perform an operation is going to severely erode the ASC's bottom line," he says. "Depending on the procedure, the additional cost of using the robot versus straight laparoscopy is anywhere between $1,500 to $3,000." Robot Lite Are there less expensive, more functionally limited robots, or prod- ucts that leverage robotics, that outpatient facilities can consider? Dr. Oleynikov says such products are emerging, like a handheld robotic needle driver that lets you bend at the wrist. "Some companies are looking to create fairly rudimentary robotic tools — kind of like a 'Robot Lite,'" he says. "But right now, there really isn't an easy-peasy, cheap hybrid robot on the market." 9 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

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