MINIMALLY INVASIVE ROBOTIC SURGERY, SOMETHING THAT YOU PRACTICE WITH YOUR PATIENTS, TALK TO ME OR TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT SURGERY IS. > THE ROBOT IS NOTHING FANCY, IT’S JUST A TOOL AND THE ROBOT ITSELF DOES NOT DO SURGERY, IT’S A TOOL THAT WE USE AND WE GUIDE TO PERFORM SURGERY. IT’S ALMOST LIKE PLAYING A VIDEOGAME. OBVIOUS A LOT MORE COMPLEX. –IS A LITTLE MORE THAN VIRTUAL REALITY.– IT YOU COMPLEX SURGERIES THROUGH SMALL INCISIONS AND THAT MEANS A FASTER RECOVERY FOR THE PATIENT. THEY GET FASTER TO WORK, IF THEY ARE SMALL WOUNDS, THERE’S LESS LIKELY OF THESE WOUNDS GETTING INFECTED. > NORMALLY IN THE PAST, IT’S HOW MANY NEW TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES WE HAVE. I REMEMBER IN THE PAST IF YOU HAD A HERNIA, THEY WOULD JUST SLICE YOU OPEN TO REMOVE IT. I SEE MY FATHER-IN-LAW AND HE HAS SO MANY SLASHES FROM HERNIAS AND NOW THAT’S NOT THE CASE. > TRADITIONAL OPEN SURGERY FOR HERNIAS SOMETIMES IS STILL NEEDED, BUT NOWADAYS, IT’S NOT THE FIRST OPTION. THE FIRST OPTION IS EITHER LAPAROSCOPIC OR ROBOTIC SURGERY. AND AGAIN, FOR THE REASONS WE DISCUSSED, IT’S FASTER RECOVERY, LESS INFECTIONS, PATIENTS ARE ABLE TO DO ONE ABOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES A LOT FASTER. OPENSERVER TENDS TO BE A LOT MORE PAINFUL, WE TALKED ABOUT VERY BIG WOUNDS WHICH LEAD TO GREATER RISK OF INFECTION. IN THE RECOVERY TIME IS A LOT LONGER. > WHO IS A CANDIDATE FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY? > MOST PATIENTS ARE CANDIDATES AND IT DEPENDS ON TYPE OF HERNIA AND THE SIZE OF THE HERNIA IF THEY HAD RECURRENCES IN THE PAST OR IF THEY HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ABDOMINAL SURGERIES. NOT EVERYBODY IS A CANDIDATE BUTI WOULD SAY MOST PATIENTS ARE.