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23 January 2010 Importance of a surgeon's experience in robotic surgeryAccording to the research, only two percent of surgeons in the country, and four percent in New York, could be considered high-volume experienced (a caseload of at least 50 procedures a year) surgeons. Due to large, specialized cancer treatment centers, New York has the largest concentration of high-volume prostate cancer treatment options regarding surgeons. It is important to note that the study only involves American surgeons, saying nothing the regulations and experience of surgeons practicing overseas. In the U.S., however, the FDA currently mandates that surgeons take a weekend course to learn how to use a robot for radical prostate surgery, and then be monitored by a surgeon who has done at least 20 cases. However, learning time is a commodity, particularly when in 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education imposed a national limit of 80 hours a week for all medical trainees. These limitations unfortunately restrict a surgeon's experience and the authors concluded that these regulations needed to become more flexible for the sake of patients, because it's not the robot that does the surgery; it's the surgeon. At the same time, it takes a caseload of at least several hundred to become proficient at operating with the da Vinci surgery robot. The main conclusion of the study is flexibility in training hours is vital to attain needed experience and ample exposure to cases. The question remains how to balance these regulations with the experience needed for successful surgical outcomes. NOTE: Issues on this site regarding prostate cancer and treatment options, are provided for information only, and are not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or other medical professional. Prostate-Report.org does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment. |
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