Surgery, in definition, refers to the removal of necrotic or any lesion that hinders the health of an individual. Nevertheless, surgery is a lot more complex in the eye of surgeons; the use of scalpel requires exquisite artistic skills. The birth of minimal invasive surgery represents the persistent pursuit in perfection and high expectation surgeons possess during operation. The ultimate goal of surgeons is to not only eradicate the disease and pain but also to minimize post-operation complication in addition to elevate the recovery process.
What is Minimal Invasive Surgery?
The development of minimal invasive techniques has only been available for a short period of time in comparison to the traditional surgery method. Most people are still not familiar with the concept of minimal invasive surgery, and many still have reservation in their mind – what exactly is minimal invasive surgery?
In 1987, a French doctor, Dr. Mouret completed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy; little did he know that his operation has set a milestone in clinical medicine. Minimal invasive procedure is a revolutionary development in medicine, it has been established as one of the leading course of surgery in twenty-first century. It is an advanced technology inclusive of an electronic display system, high-tech surgical instrument in combination with tradition surgical approach.
The procedure begins as the anesthesiologist put the patient in a sedation, later on the surgeon would make one to three incisions on the body ranges from 0.5-1 cm, also known as the “key hole”. With the help of laparoscopy, surgeons are able to have a clear view of the surgical field, followed by the removal of lesions with advanced surgical instruments.
The Benefits of Minimal Invasive Surgery
One of the main benefits of this delicate procedure is that the surgical incisions would be so small that it would not leave scars. The surgeon’s hand would not enter the patient’s body throughout the entire procedure, which significantly decreases the damage to the patient’s vital organs. Moreover, it would reduce the probabilities of interference towards patient’s organ function, leading to a faster recovery. A minimal invasive surgery usually last 30-60 minutes only. During the surgery, all the blood vessels are managed in a sophisticated manner, not to mention the usage of advanced hemostatic devices such as ultrasonic knife, which would prevent the large amount of bleeding.
Patients who went through minimal invasive surgery has a much smoother and natural breathing in comparison to the pain and breathing discomfort brought upon by the tradition open surgery. Patients are allowed to get off bed and move around after 6-8 hours post operation. Patients are allowed to intake food and water once bowel movement was restored and flatus has been expelled.
The duration of entire procedure requires the patient to be in hospital for 1 – 3 days. With some patients, they are allowed to return home in the evening after surgery. The recovery period for most surgery is one week. Due to the short period of hospitalization, the medical costs are relatively lower as suppose to an open surgery. Meanwhile, minimal invasive surgery barely has any harmful effect to the body; it is tolerable even for geriatric patients. According to statistic, the oldest patient that has received a Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is 107 years old.
Development of Minimal Invasive Surgery
With the development of science and technology, the concept of “minimal invasive has expanded into various field in surgery: general surgery, neurology, urinary and orthopedics. Basically, about 90% of the surgeries can be done through a minimal invasive approach.
There are multiple ways of how a minimal invasive surgery can be done through a wide variety of surgical instruments. The monitoring system of minimal invasive surgery is not limited to endoscopic treatment in particular (Such as bone arthroscopy, thoracoscopy, interventional therapy). At present, more patients with intervertebral disc diseases are adapting intervertebral foramen lens technique as their treatment plan.
Currently, thyroid surgery can also be done through minimally invasive techniques. Compare to the traditional thyroid surgery approach, minimal invasive technique can avoid the scars on patient’s neck; which meets the beauty standard for many patients. Minimal invasive surgery also focus on patient’s psychological, wellness, physiological (pain), social intervention, mental health, and improvement in quality of life ; all for the purpose of making the pain more managable for patients. Patient’s fast recovery can only be beneficial for not only their families but also for the social communities.
Author｜Mei Jun, Wu｜Yosemite Medical Care Director