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Traditional surgical procedures require surgeons to make large incisions(切口)in a patient's body in order to gain access to the organs inside.It was once common for heart surgeons, who perform highly specialized and complex procedures, to make long incisions in a patient's chest and then split the breastbone to reach the heart.Patients who undergo surgery are often at the risk of infection, as bacteria can infect the cut in the skin.In addition, there is often a lengthy recovery period.
A surgical technique known as “keyhole surgery” has become common in recent years.In general, the surgeon will make a couple of small incisions around the area where the operation is going to be performed.Tubes are pushed into the holes, and a tiny camera is put into the body.The camera is attached to a large monitor screen and the doctor can see it while performing the operation.In addition to the camera, doctors also push their tiny surgical instruments through the tubes.The awkward part of keyhole surgery is that it is counterintuitive; that is to say, if a surgeon wants to move the tool to the left, he or she must push it to the right.
Another new machine called the “Da Vinci Surgical System” has been tested in hospitals in the US.Unlike keyhole surgery, this robot's moving parts are designed to copy man's hand and wrist movement, thus providing better control and sensitivity.Sitting at a console(控制臺)a few feet from the patient, the surgeon can control the instruments by moving highly sensitive pads.The area of the body is enlarged on a screen, which gives surgeons a view similar to that of a traditional surgical procedure.
The Da Vinci Surgical System has been welcomed as revolutionary by many surgeons.Patients with serious illness must undergo major surgery, but the smaller incisions typically mean a shorter recovery time.On the downside, some operations have taken up to fifty minutes longer because surgeons are inexperienced at using the new technology.As surgeons become more familiar with the machines, the time needed for surgical procedures is likely to decrease.