How It Works

The da Vinci Surgical System has three main components:

A mechanical robot with four multi-jointed arms
A computer command center installed several feet from the patient, where the surgeon sits. This console also includes a 3-D monitor similar to a “viewfinder” that provides the surgeon with a magnified view of the surgical site inside the patient
A vision cart, which the surgical assistant uses to observe the procedure

Equipped with a special, dual-lens endoscope, the viewfinder provides a magnified view of the surgical site inside the patient. It allows surgeons to see the surgical site up to 12 times more closely than human vision allows. It also enables physicians to work more precisely and at a smaller scale of detail than in conventional surgery. Most important is that the 3-D viewfinder restores depth to the surgical field increasing the surgeon’s accuracy and precision.

The surgeon controls the da Vinci unit from a remote console just a few feet away from the patient. The system provides better ergonomic conditions during surgery, allowing a surgeon to stay seated at the console throughout the operation.

While sitting at the console, a surgeon controls a high-resolution camera and micro-surgical instruments. The robotic computer scales the surgeon’s movements, precisely guiding the robotic arms. Unlike traditional laparoscopic micro-instruments, da Vinci instruments have a patented EndoWrist® that can turn 540 degrees, allowing for exceptional suturing capability, greater freedom of movement and finer, more precise movements.