4th Arm

The da Vinci^® Surgical System's patient-side cart holds up to four electromechanical arms that manipulate the instruments inside the patient. The instruments and camera attach easily to the arms, and are easily repositioned by either the console or patient-side surgeon. The addition of a 4th Arm allows Solo Surgery™, a breakthrough in robotic-assisted MIS.

The first two arms, representing the surgeon's left and right hands, hold the EndoWrist^® instruments. A third arm positions the endoscope, allowing the surgeon to easily change, move, zoom and rotate his or her field of vision from the console. This mobility eliminates the need for an assistant to hold the camera steady.

The optional 4th Arm extends surgical capabilities by enabling the surgeon to add a third EndoWrist instrument and perform additional tasks like applying countertraction and following running sutures. This optional feature potentially eliminates the need for a patient-side surgeon.

The surgeon can simultaneously control any two of the operating arms by tapping a foot pedal underneath the surgeon's console. The 4th Arm is available as an option on new da Vinci Surgical Systems and can be added as an upgrade to existing da Vinci Systems.