An experimental study about haptic feedback in robotic surgery: may visual feedback substitute tactile feedback?

Area of Science:

• Robotic Surgery
• Surgical Technology
• Human Factors in Medicine

Background:

• Robotic surgical systems, such as the da Vinci Si HD, offer enhanced precision but often lack haptic feedback.
• The absence of tactile sensation can pose challenges for surgeons, potentially impacting performance and patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether surgeon experience can mitigate the limitations imposed by the lack of haptic feedback in robotic surgery.
• To quantify the performance difference between expert and non-expert surgeons using the da Vinci Platform in a tactile assessment task.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-five surgeons were divided into expert and non-expert groups based on experience with the da Vinci Platform.
• Participants performed a test assessing their ability to discern membrane thickness without haptic feedback.
• Performance was evaluated based on time, precision, applied force, and object identification.

Main Results:

• Expert surgeons achieved significantly higher scores (8.87) than non-experts (3.57) (P < 0.05).
• Experts completed the test in an average of 28.8 seconds, compared to 71.3 seconds for non-experts.
• A significant performance difference was observed between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Surgeon expertise can partially compensate for the absence of haptic feedback in robotic surgery.
• Visual feedback likely plays a crucial role in enabling experienced surgeons to overcome tactile limitations.