Would You Trust a Robot to Save Your Life?

"In gynecology, we have the perimenopausal, the menopausal, and the reproductive age groups. All of these women benefit from this kind of procedure," Dr. Jose added.

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leads to better outcomes."

Before the Da Vinci Xi, tumors in the mouth were reached through big incisions made on the patients' neck, thus affecting how they swallowed and exposing them to possible infections.

"Now, we can offer our patients transoral robotic surgery, by going through natural openings in the head and neck to do surgeries and resections of tumors in the upper airway, particularly the throat," said Dr. Arsenio A. Cabungcal, consultant at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and section chief of the Head and Neck Surgery. "Patients are able to eat and swallow better after the surgery because we're more precise with the dissections. And that results in less pain and faster recovery time."

Surgeries for the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas, duodenum, and spleen are tricky because these organs are not only found in the chest area, they are also under the rib cage, making it necessary to pry a patient open.

While laparoscopic surgery has done away with the need to cut a patient up, the minimally invasive approach, which inserts thin rod-like instruments with a light source and camera into tiny incisions made on the patient's body, still has its limitations.