Argumentative Essay On Robotic Surgery

Though it is touted as one of the best way of doing the surgeries, the da Vinci surgical robot is criticized for many of its shortcomings. The cost of healthcare has left many Americans struggling to pay their medical bills and the Da Vinci system only made matter worst. In the article Robotic Surgery Offers Patients No Benefits over Traditional Surgery, the authors assert that robotic surgeries is a rip-off rather than a revolutionary invention. Weidenfeld and Uchill(2015) quoted “The study of 90 patients found that the total cost of robotic spleen surgeries was nearly three times as much as conventional surgeries”(para. 17). A lot of patients will go into debt just to get the benefits of robotic surgery, so lower-cost systems are needed to fix that. Some doctors argue that

Spiwak (2014) stated that “ All personnel involved in robotic-assisted surgery must learn how to maintain the system, set up for the procedure, and other special techniques involved with robotics.”(para.16). Due to the complex technological advancements in surgical robotics, surgeons require well-designed training programs to operate them. Because of the special training required and limits to its applicability, this form of surgery is practiced by a few surgeons. The capital cost associated with robotic surgery is another prohibitive factor in its uptake for hospitals since the initial setup and maintenance costs of the robot are very high. In the article Robotic surgery in gynaecology, the authors condemn the expensive approach robotic surgeries have. Roopa, Kathryn, and Thomas (2016) stated “purchase prices are in the range of $1–2.5 million. The life of a robot is around 10 years but the robotic instruments can only be used up to 10 times”(p.7). In the end, the cost will limit the widespread adoption of full-fledged large robotic surgical