Hospital shows off new robotic technology

By DAVID BROOKS, Staff Writer dbrooks@nashuatelegraph.com NASHUA – To a certain extent, the future of surgery looks like the future of almost everything else: full of robots. “Within 10 years, every prostatectomy will be done with a robot,” predicted Dr. James Rotta, discussing surgery for prostate cancer. “This will be the way it will always be done.” Rotta made his prediction alongside a demonstration model of the Da Vinci Surgical System. The $1.5 million device allows a surgeon to operate on a patient from 10 feet away, gazing into a monitor while twisting finger controls or pressing foot pedals to control four robotic arms wielding a variety of surgical tools. The resulting precision and magnified view allows surgery with much smaller incisions and less internal disruption – so-called “minimally invasive surgery” or... [read full story]