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Kendall Securro
Mrs. DeBock
English 4 Honors
24 September 2015

Research Question: What effect does modern technology have on the medical field?
Working Thesis Statement: Modern-era surgery robots use skills unmatched by humans to
perform surgeries with ease.
Revised Thesis Statement: The use of modern-era robots, which possess skills to aid in keyhole
surgeries, provide a much more positive health care experience for patients rather than those who
vie for traditional open surgeries.
Annotated Bibliography
Ashford, Heath, et al. "Use Of Robots On Cardiac Surgery." Insights To A Changing World
Journal 2014.4 (2014): 38-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
The use of robotic surgery is not to replace surgeons but to assist in the operating room.
Though they are robots, they are not autonomous and only used to lessen the work of surgeons.
For example, the instrument manipulate more intuitive by eliminating the fulcrum effect, which
removes the surgeon from twisting and turning in awkward positions. These innovative
machines have been used to increase patient care by making more precise and more minimal
invasive incisions. Surgical robots are computer-assisted electromechanical devices that aid
surgeons and are designed to replicate human movements into more steady precise motions,
giving more accurate and delicate operations. Smaller incisions give faster recovery, leave
smaller scars, decrease blood loss, as well as decrease the use of pain medication. Additionally,
the reducing of scars with robot assisted surgeries has shown a decrease of blood loss. This

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article is laying out the benefits of advancement in technical features of robotic cardiac surgery
outweigh the barriers, helping to support my thesis.

Desai, Mahesh, Jaspreet Chabra, and Arvind P. Ganpule. "Robotic Surgery Is Ready For Prime
Time In India: For The Motion." Journal Of Minimal Access Surgery 11.1 (2015): 24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Robotic surgery with its combined advantages is still in its expansion phase, the best of
which is still to come. The suturing ease coupled with motion scaling features make these million
dollar surgeons second to none. Using these features allow greater precision, which has led to
widespread use in different surgeries. The increasing numbers of procedures being performed
have also showed trends in improved patient outcomes. India is readily accepting and embracing
these new surgical innovations. The number of robotic platforms being purchased for use in
health care facilities in India is increasing, corresponding with the increase in demand of the
same machines by the patients. This article helps support my claim by explaining how India is
readily adopting these new surgical methods.

Fullick, A. (2006). Frontiers of surgery. Chicago, Illinois: Heinemann Library.

Modern era surgery is not without risks even with medical advances in the twenty first
century. The most common two risks of operations are bleeding and infections, both of with
have been tackled with the use of keyhole surgeries. Keyhole surgeries only require two to three
incisions in the body which are rarely larger than a few millimeters in length. Robots have now
been introduced to aid surgeons with these laparoscopic surgeries. They offer advantages such as

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a steadier hand, which matters most in the area of heart bypass. This surgery was performed in
the past by opening the chest and stopping the heart, but now advances in keyhole surgery
coupled with robotic aid have allowed the surgery to be performed with three small incisions.
This book was very informative, it explains keyhole surgery and how it actually differs between
adults and children.

Kumar, Arvind, and Belal Bin Asaf. "Robotic Thoracic Surgery: The State Of The Art." Journal
Of Minimal Access Surgery 11.1 (2015): 60-67. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23
Sept. 2015.
Minimally invasive surgery in the thoracic cavity has come a long way since first
pioneered. It has rapidly changed into complex procedures such as lobectomy, pneumonectomy,
esophagectomy, and removal of different tumors. With todays technological advances, VATS
(Video-assisted thoracic surgery) offers many benefits over the traditional open thoracotomy.
Patients of a VATS often report having less postoperative pain, which also leads to less of a
dependence on narcotic drugs for killing pain. Many argue robotic-assisted surgery is more
expensive than traditional surgery, however, that cost is often offset by the cause of a lessened
hospital stay. Combined with quicker return to work, and a better cosmetic appearance
(scarring) robotic surgeries are becoming a more viable method for the future. This article
explains different benefits of VATS helping to support my claim that modern advances aid in
patient care.

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Pai, Ajit, et al. "Current Status Of Robotic Surgery For Rectal Cancer: A Bird's Eye
View." Journal Of Minimal Access Surgery 11.1 (2015): 29-34. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer is now widely performed using the
laparoscopic approach, it has also been corroborated with use in randomized trials to be
oncologically safe. Many perioperative outcomes show to be beneficial, being that rather than
open surgery, use of the TME (Total Mesorectal Excision) has shown to yield a shorter length of
stay, earlier return of bowel function, better cosmetic appearance, and less of a requirement for
an analgesic. Before, laparoscopic surgery has had limitations because of a two-dimensional
vision, restricted instrument motion as well as a very long learning curve. Now, robotic surgery
has evolved into precise tools with three-dimensional magnified optics, a stable retraction
platform, and seven degrees of free instrument movement to offer significant benefits. This
article is helpful to supporting my claim because it explains the new three-dimensional viewing
abilities that aid in surgery.

Sinha, Rooma, et al. "Robotic Surgery In Gynecology." Journal Of Minimal Access Surgery 11.1
(2015): 50-59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
In 2005 the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved the Da Vinci Surgical System
for gynecological surgery. Since then, it has been quickly adopted and has already assumed an
important role at various health care centers where this robotic method is available. The system
is comprised of three components; a surgeons console, a patient-side cart with four robotic arms,
and a high-definition three-dimensional vision system. Throughout the U.S. various roboticassisted laparoscopic benign gynecological procedures like myomectomy, hysterectomy,

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endometriosis, tubal anastomosis, and sacrocolpopexy are being performed with the Da Vinci. In
the present time, most studies do not give significant advantage over conventional laparoscopic
surgery in benign gynecological disease. This article shows that robotics gives an edge in more
complex surgeries, benefitting the patients wellbeing.