Is Robotic Spine Surgery Safer Than Traditional Open Surgery?

If you need surgery, you want to do everything you can to minimize your risks of complications. You’ll likely carefully research your surgeon, then closely follow their recommendations for any pre-op lifestyle changes in the weeks leading up to your procedure. But if you want to go a step further, you should explore robotic spine surgery. 

Patrick S Hill, MD, chose to specialize in this type of surgery because it allows him to minimize the risks for his patients. As a robotic spine surgery specialist, Dr. Hill can perform your procedure in a way that reduces not just your risk but your recovery time, too. If you’d like to learn more, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation at our office in Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, California. 

To help you understand what robotic spine surgery can do for you, let’s talk about why it’s safer.

Robotic vs. open surgery

Traditionally, surgery has been performed as an open procedure. That means your surgeon makes one or multiple incisions to fully open up the surgery site, allowing them to see the area and perform the necessary work.

But things have changed. With the invention of the laparoscope — a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end — surgeons gained a way to see inside your body with only a tiny incision. Minimally invasive surgery changed the game, allowing surgeons to perform even advanced procedures through small keyhole-sized incisions.

Robotic surgery takes things a step further. Not only does Dr. Hill apply minimally invasive techniques during your procedure, but he also uses robot-assisted tools. That increases the level of precision and accuracy.

Ultimately, with increased control and smaller incisions, experts generally agree that robotic surgery is safer than traditional open surgery.

The benefits of robotic surgery

Safety during your operation isn’t the only reason to explore robotic spine surgery. Choosing this option also helps to shorten your recovery time afterward.

For starters, there’s a dramatic reduction in your risk of needing to stay in the hospital. With smaller incisions and more accuracy, you lose less blood and have a reduced risk of infection. By slashing your chance of complications, robotic surgery helps to get you home faster.

Benefits don’t stop there, either. Once you are home, you should experience a shorter overall recovery period with less pain than if you chose open surgery. That shrinks your chance of a lesser thought of but equally problematic complication of surgery: reliance on addictive pain medications. 

Clearly, robotic spine surgery delivers some notable benefits. To find out if it might be right for you, call our office or schedule your appointment online today.