Robot Surgeons! New Medical Breaththrough From Russian Doctors Operating on Pig Patient
A medical breakthrough occurred in Penza this Wednesday. For the first time in the world, a surgeon operated with a digital robot inside a living organism. The robot was developed in Russia. The surgeon is also Russian. A pig called Rosa was his patient. From now on, she'll be the symbol of the victory of revolutionary technology in medicine. Rosa is now like the sheep Dolly, the first cloned animal.
The success signifies Russia's technological advantage over the other countries involved in the same process. They've never done anything like this. It's also an important landmark for the national anti-cancer program announced by President Putin. The new robot is a crucial medical tool of the near future. It's even capable of performing cancer surgeries.
Shortly before the operation in Penza, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets made an announcement in Yekaterinburg, stating that the government has started developing a national anti-cancer program. In a month and a half, the project will be submitted for general discussion.
To tell us about this robot surgeon, whose precise cuts are the size of a cell, here's Olga Mesherikova.
- What's her pre-operative assessment?
- She's fine.
- Look at her eat.
A naughty tail and a pink nose — this exemplary Penza pig is happily greeting journalists from Moscow.
- She's so funny... Oh! She's eating my gown.
After a brief photo session, the large white pig named Rosa, a name medical students will remember easily, opens a new high-tech page in Russian medical history.
Dmitry Pushkar: "Today is a special day for all of us".
A small presentation. Penza Technopark of High Technologies. Everyone quickly enters the operating room. Rosa is already under anesthesia. The clock's ticking.
Dmitry Pushkar: "Good".
Dr. Pushkar aims a precise surgical instrument exactly at the tumor. The pig has a uterus cyst. It might seem unreal, but the surgeon is several meters away from the operating table.
Dmitry Pushkar: "A bit higher. That's fine".
A portable box with indicators and powerful manipulators in his hands — that's all that scientists can reveal for now. Only the result is clearly visible. The medical instrument captures the tissue with precision and accuracy.
Dmitry Pushkar: "It's perfect. Perfect".
This is literally a historic moment. The first Russian robot surgeon is operating on a live creature for the very first time. The high-precision mechanisms are hidden from the eyes of the cameras. The robot is the surgeon's assistant. A technological breakthrough, overstepping the previous century, the origin of the greatest inventions of transatlantic thought.
Dmitry Pushkar: "Honestly, we almost can't believe it ourselves".
It seems impossible to believe, but this tiny machine the size of a suitcase is more advanced than the colossal, room-sized, fabulously expensive, medical world-renowned, hitherto unrivaled and unparalleled, foreign-made surgeon robot, the pretentiously named "Da Vinci".
Dmitry Pushkar, urologist: "Today, we solved the main issue with the size of the machine. You can come to our clinic and see the Da Vinci robot. It's ten times bigger".
Look at the difference between the analog wired American robot and the innovative, unimaginably precise Russian. The cancer cell is only 3 microns in diameter. A surgeon can cut out every cell of the tumor without spilling any blood.
Sergey Sheptunov, Russian Academy of Sciences: It's entirely digital. The idea was to make it use advanced technologies, math, and so on, to acquire more accurate and easily readable digital information. Believe me, as an engineer, this architecture has never been utilized before".
The architecture that no other country managed to utilize was invented at the Moscow State Stomatology University, whose urology department is led by Professor Pushkar, the main supernumerary urology expert of the Healthcare Ministry. The robot was built by the RAS Institute of Technology and Information Sciences. Our scientists, the notorious "golden brains" who used to flee to the West and create technical masterpieces worth the brush and the name of the great Leonardo. Everything's changed, they stay. Our science is on the rise.
Veronika Skvortsova, Minister of Healthcare: "Our scientists and engineers created a machine that's 100 times more accurate then Da Vinci. A doctor doesn't have to be near the robot. It could be operated remotely. Currently, we're capable of operating on patients in Vladivostok from Moscow. The machines have a lot of unique features. A great future awaits them."
Several steps up the stairs are tests, adjustments, and new tests.
Sergey Sheptunov: "We're testing the remote control for the first time".
The next stage — a Russian laser machine built in Fryazino, Moscow Oblast. It's Russian-made. Under magnification, we can see how the laser beam literally welds the blood vessel.
Dmitry Pushkar: "See? Not a single drop of blood".
For the first time, a robot is capable of performing laser surgery.
Nikolai Yevtikhiev, Polux Institute: "Da Vinci, the Western counterpart, can't actually operate with lasers. They made a special tool capable of operating on tissue. Our scientists did. Pushkar has demonstrated it".
We now have another technological breakthrough that no other country has — an advanced, robotic assistant surgeon. These machines operate extremely accurately with no cuts or stitches needed. Scientists are sure the technology will become an integral part of our healthcare system. It will be universally available.
Dmitry Pushkar: "As a lead expert, I must ensure the operations are accessible to every Russian citizen. The machine must be integrated into our General Health Insurance system to allow us to perform advanced operations in order to get our patients back on track with minimal invasion".
It's just the beginning. Many challenges lie ahead. But it's clearly accurate, reliable, and capable.
Afanasiy Baulin, surgeon: "When we assembled the whole system and looked at it, my colleague said: 'Are we still in Penza? In Russia? Is this really happening or have we gone abroad to some medical conference?'" Rosa the pig doesn't even suspect that she's now a symbol and a part of the scientific heritage. She's recovering after her surgery. She's missed back at home.
- Have I won your heart, Borya?
- Forever.
Borya the boar is ready to meet his love. Soon, he and Rosa will have a bunch of healthy piglets.
Olga Mesherikova, Anton Gubanov, Sergey Buneev, Stanislav Petrov, Ivan Lavrikov, and Sergey Lyskov. Vesti News of the Week, Penza.