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Yonsei surgeons get helping handsJuly 19, 2005 ㅡ The era of robotic surgery has arrived in Korea. Yesterday at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, a robot performed an entire operation, from opening up the patient to stitching everything up.Previously, robots had supported surgeons in operations. But with the "da Vinci" surgical robot, doctors now play the supporting role. "We have now entered a period where robots are in charge of the operations," said Rha Koon-ho, a professor in the robot surgery team at Severance Hospital. In preparation for yesterday's surgery, the surgeon made four one-centimeter holes in the patient's stomach to insert carbon dioxide and the eyes and the arms of the robot. As soon as the robot's eyes, a camera, entered the patient's body, the organs were presented to the doctor on a three-dimensional screen, 16 times larger than their real size. Looking at the screen, the doctor used a joystick to control the robot's arms, which moved every bit as nimbly as the doctor's own. The robot's task, which was to remove a damaged part of the patient's gallbladder, was completed just nine minutes after the operation started. Lee Woo-jung, the doctor in charge of the operation, said the robots have great potential. "Robots can access small areas that people's hands cannot reach," he said. "This surgical robot is able to move its wrist freely, which makes the operation much simpler than before."In addition, robot surgeons are able to keep their hands much steadier than their human counterparts.Although a first for Korea, there are already more than 300 surgical robots in use in the United States. Robots can be used in most surgical procedures, including heart surgery and removal of tumors from the stomach, pancreas and lung.