A view of technology in action that's
up close and personal
By ANGELA STEWART
Star-Ledger Staff
Watching robotic surgery being performed on a patient was
the "coolest" thing 14-year-old Robert Metcalfe of Basking
Ridge could imagine.
Still, the eighth-grader at William Annin Middle School
never envisioned himself sitting at a console, emulating
what he saw obstetrician/gynecologist Michael Pitter doing
during the live hysterectomy being performed yesterday at
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Manipulating robotic "arms," Metcalfe directed tiny surgical
instruments to pick up objects like rubber bands and coins
while star ing through what looked like an oversized toy
Viewmaster. This gave him a better idea of what Pitter was
experiencing as he used the same type of equipment to operate
on his patient -- a 48-year-old mother of three -- in a nearby
hospital operating room.
"It's real easy to use," Metcalfe said. "It feels like I
was touching the objects with my own hands."
Some 100 students from four schools, including more than
a dozen from Newark's Weequahic and Malcolm X Shabazz high
schools, experienced the cutting- edge technology as part
of Liberty Science Center's "Live From" se ries, an interactive
education program.
"You've got to be focused,' said Tamika McDonald, 16, a
junior at Shabazz, after trying out the robot at an on-site
training center used by the hospital to teach doctors from
around the world how to use the surgical technique.
Because smaller incisions are used during robotic surgery,
there is less blood loss during the operation and less pain
after the surgery. That means patients typically get out
of the hospital quicker and recover faster. Pitter's patient
is ex pected to head home today and should recuperate from
her surgery within a couple of weeks.
Her hysterectomy -- an operation in which doctors remove
the uterus -- was performed to rid her of the recurring problem
of painful fibroids, which are non-cancerous tumors that
grow in the uterus.
During robotic surgery, the doctor sits at a computer console,
operating four robotic "arms" and "wrists" using hand and
foot controls. One of the arms holds a tiny video camera,
with the others mimicking the surgeons' hand movements.
Of 15,000 surgeries performed last year at Beth Israel,
about 1,200 were done using the robotic technique.
Alexandria Gooding, 16, a junior at Weequahic who wants
to become a pediatrician, called it "fan tastic" that this
type of technology is improving medical outcomes for patients.
"I think this was a good experience and working the robot
was much easier than I thought it would be," she said.
Many students said it felt like they were playing a video
game as they took their turn manipulating the robot, but
Pitter stressed that robotic surgery should not be viewed
differently than any other type of operation.
Doctors at Beth Israel, a regional training center for robotic
surgery, are also using the technique to operate on other
parts of the body, like the heart and prostate.
"It's not a game, it's not a toy, it's very serious," said
Pitter, 48, who is the hospital's chief of gynecologic robotic
and minimally inva sive surgery, which is sometimes also
referred to as laparoscopic surgery.
And Pitter did have help. As he sat at the console manipulating
the instruments on the $1.4 million robot, his surgical team
-- consisting of a medical assistant, an anesthesiologist
and a couple of nurses -- surrounded the patient, closely
monitoring her condition.
The students were also able to ask questions during the
surgery, which was shown live on a screen set up in the hospital
auditorium. One student asked what would happen if one of
the robot's four arms malfunctioned. Pitter said if necessary,
he could continue using traditional surgery techniques without
harming the patient.
While viewing the anatomy of a female's reproductive system
might have seemed unnerving to some of the students, that
was not the case with Andrew Iannaccone, 13, an eighth grader
at Christ the Teacher School in Fort Lee.
"I'm used to gross things," he said, explaining he has a
younger brother and sister who sometimes get "cuts" and require
first-aid.
Angela Stewart may be reached at astewart@starledger.com
or (973) 392-4178.
Publication: The Star-Ledger
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