Question
An Amazing Medical Breakthrough
1 Freddie is a reporter for his school’s newspaper. He’s been assigned to write an article on a new type of surgery taking place at a local hospital. The hospital has promised Freddie a tour of an operating room where the new surgery is performed. Upon arriving at the hospital, he is greeted by Sanja, a spokesperson for the hospital.
2 “Freddie, this type of surgery is very new,” Sanja told him. In fact, this hospital is one of the few hospitals currently using it.” Freddie followed Sanja down a quiet hallway. Sanja turned to him and said, “There’s actually minor surgery being performed right now. I thought you might want to see the procedure for yourself.”
A Surgical Robot
3 They walked into a small auditorium where one wall was made entirely of glass. As Freddie walked toward the glass, he could see an operating room below. Wow! he thought to himself. This is going to be exciting.
4 As Freddie looked through the glass, it took him a few seconds to understand what he was looking at. He could see that a patient was laying on the operating table, covered with blue sheets. A doctor or nurse was standing near the patient, and another doctor or nurse was hunched over a computer a few feet away. No one was actually touching the patient. Instead, a large complicated machine with three mechanical arms was standing over the patient. From where he stood, it looked as though the ends of the three arms were inserted into the patient’s body.
5 “What’s going on?” Freddie asked Sanja. “What’s that machine doing?”
6 “That’s the new procedure,” Sanja told Freddie. “We use a surgical robot to perform minor surgery here. The surgical robot has three arms. One arm inserts a tiny camera into the patient’s body. The other two arms have instruments attached to them that perform the surgery.”
7 “Are you saying that a robot is performing surgery on that patient?” Freddie asked.
8 “Yes,” Sanja replied, “but not totally on its own. See the surgeon sitting at the computer console? He is directing the robot’s movements.”
9 Sanja went on to explain that the images from the camera were displayed on the surgeon’s computer screen. The images are three-dimensional and magnified 12 times. They help the surgeon see the area to be operated on better than if he were actually standing next to the patient.
10 “The surgeon uses instruments under the computer screen to control the movements of the robot,” she said.
11 Freddie leaned over to get a closer look at the surgeon. “It looks like he’s using joysticks!”
12 “Yes. The controls are a bit like a video game, but much more sensitive.” Sanja added, “The instruments attached to the robotic arms can actually do more than human hands can. Human hands can only move a certain way, which means that the traditional way of performing surgery is a bit limited. The robot’s instruments can rotate a full circle. They can do things and get to areas that human hands can’t.”
13 “Wow! That’s cool. I bet the robot’s arms don’t tremble either,” Freddie said.
14 “No, they don’t tremble,” Sanja replied, “and they don’t get tired.”
A Gentler Type of Surgery
15 Sanja and Freddie left the auditorium and walked to a room where doctors and nurses were sitting at tables drinking and eating.
16 “Freddie, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Cole. He’s performed lots of surgeries using our new robotic surgical system. He’ll tell you more about it and answer any questions that you have.” Sanja left Freddie with the doctor.
17 “Well, Freddie,” asked Dr. Cole, “do you have any questions about the surgery?”
18 “Plenty!” said Freddie. “Can the robot do any kind of surgery? Has it ever malfunctioned while operating on a patient? Do patients know that a robot is operating on them?”
19 “Okay. One question at a time,” replied Dr. Cole. “First of all, the robotic system isn’t approved for just any kind of surgery. For now, the government allows it to be used only for minor surgeries in the chest and stomach areas.
20 “The robotic system has been carefully studied and is constantly monitored so that malfunctions won’t occur. As for our patients, every one of them has to agree before we allow the robotic surgical system to be used.”
21 “Does the robot do a better job than a surgeon?” asked Freddie.
22 “The robotic surgical system has many advantages,” Dr. Cole replied cautiously. “The robot’s instruments can get into places that a surgeon can’t always get to. The camera is also a big help. However, the robot can’t do any of the surgery on its own, of course. It needs the surgeon’s guidance to get the work done.”
23 “So the robotic system won’t be replacing a real surgeon,” Freddie stated.
24 “That’s right,” Dr. Cole replied. “There are many other advantages, too. For example, using the robotic system means fewer incisions made to a patient’s body. The robot’s instruments can be inserted into much smaller openings. That means a gentler type of surgery, and one result is that recovery takes less time and is less painful.”
25 “What kinds of surgery have you performed using the robotic arms?” Freddie asked.
26 “So far, I’ve used the robotic system to perform minor surgery on the kidneys of my patients. Other doctors here have performed minor surgeries on parts of the heart, the intestines, and the pancreas. We have a 100 percent success rate,” Dr. Cole told Freddie proudly.
27 That afternoon, Freddie sat at his computer writing his article. He couldn’t hit the keys fast enough to keep up with all the information that he wanted to include. When he was finished, Freddie thought about the robot that he had seen at the hospital. The robotic surgical system was truly amazing. Freddie wondered what other medical breakthroughs were being invented to help save lives.
1 Freddie is a reporter for his school’s newspaper. He’s been assigned to write an article on a new type of surgery taking place at a local hospital. The hospital has promised Freddie a tour of an operating room where the new surgery is performed. Upon arriving at the hospital, he is greeted by Sanja, a spokesperson for the hospital.
2 “Freddie, this type of surgery is very new,” Sanja told him. In fact, this hospital is one of the few hospitals currently using it.” Freddie followed Sanja down a quiet hallway. Sanja turned to him and said, “There’s actually minor surgery being performed right now. I thought you might want to see the procedure for yourself.”
A Surgical Robot
3 They walked into a small auditorium where one wall was made entirely of glass. As Freddie walked toward the glass, he could see an operating room below. Wow! he thought to himself. This is going to be exciting.
4 As Freddie looked through the glass, it took him a few seconds to understand what he was looking at. He could see that a patient was laying on the operating table, covered with blue sheets. A doctor or nurse was standing near the patient, and another doctor or nurse was hunched over a computer a few feet away. No one was actually touching the patient. Instead, a large complicated machine with three mechanical arms was standing over the patient. From where he stood, it looked as though the ends of the three arms were inserted into the patient’s body.
5 “What’s going on?” Freddie asked Sanja. “What’s that machine doing?”
6 “That’s the new procedure,” Sanja told Freddie. “We use a surgical robot to perform minor surgery here. The surgical robot has three arms. One arm inserts a tiny camera into the patient’s body. The other two arms have instruments attached to them that perform the surgery.”
7 “Are you saying that a robot is performing surgery on that patient?” Freddie asked.
8 “Yes,” Sanja replied, “but not totally on its own. See the surgeon sitting at the computer console? He is directing the robot’s movements.”
9 Sanja went on to explain that the images from the camera were displayed on the surgeon’s computer screen. The images are three-dimensional and magnified 12 times. They help the surgeon see the area to be operated on better than if he were actually standing next to the patient.
10 “The surgeon uses instruments under the computer screen to control the movements of the robot,” she said.
11 Freddie leaned over to get a closer look at the surgeon. “It looks like he’s using joysticks!”
12 “Yes. The controls are a bit like a video game, but much more sensitive.” Sanja added, “The instruments attached to the robotic arms can actually do more than human hands can. Human hands can only move a certain way, which means that the traditional way of performing surgery is a bit limited. The robot’s instruments can rotate a full circle. They can do things and get to areas that human hands can’t.”
13 “Wow! That’s cool. I bet the robot’s arms don’t tremble either,” Freddie said.
14 “No, they don’t tremble,” Sanja replied, “and they don’t get tired.”
A Gentler Type of Surgery
15 Sanja and Freddie left the auditorium and walked to a room where doctors and nurses were sitting at tables drinking and eating.
16 “Freddie, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Cole. He’s performed lots of surgeries using our new robotic surgical system. He’ll tell you more about it and answer any questions that you have.” Sanja left Freddie with the doctor.
17 “Well, Freddie,” asked Dr. Cole, “do you have any questions about the surgery?”
18 “Plenty!” said Freddie. “Can the robot do any kind of surgery? Has it ever malfunctioned while operating on a patient? Do patients know that a robot is operating on them?”
19 “Okay. One question at a time,” replied Dr. Cole. “First of all, the robotic system isn’t approved for just any kind of surgery. For now, the government allows it to be used only for minor surgeries in the chest and stomach areas.
20 “The robotic system has been carefully studied and is constantly monitored so that malfunctions won’t occur. As for our patients, every one of them has to agree before we allow the robotic surgical system to be used.”
21 “Does the robot do a better job than a surgeon?” asked Freddie.
22 “The robotic surgical system has many advantages,” Dr. Cole replied cautiously. “The robot’s instruments can get into places that a surgeon can’t always get to. The camera is also a big help. However, the robot can’t do any of the surgery on its own, of course. It needs the surgeon’s guidance to get the work done.”
23 “So the robotic system won’t be replacing a real surgeon,” Freddie stated.
24 “That’s right,” Dr. Cole replied. “There are many other advantages, too. For example, using the robotic system means fewer incisions made to a patient’s body. The robot’s instruments can be inserted into much smaller openings. That means a gentler type of surgery, and one result is that recovery takes less time and is less painful.”
25 “What kinds of surgery have you performed using the robotic arms?” Freddie asked.
26 “So far, I’ve used the robotic system to perform minor surgery on the kidneys of my patients. Other doctors here have performed minor surgeries on parts of the heart, the intestines, and the pancreas. We have a 100 percent success rate,” Dr. Cole told Freddie proudly.
27 That afternoon, Freddie sat at his computer writing his article. He couldn’t hit the keys fast enough to keep up with all the information that he wanted to include. When he was finished, Freddie thought about the robot that he had seen at the hospital. The robotic surgical system was truly amazing. Freddie wondered what other medical breakthroughs were being invented to help save lives.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
### An Amazing Medical Breakthrough
**Freddie's Exploration of Robotic Surgery**
Freddie, a school reporter, was thrilled to be assigned to cover the innovative surgery at a local hospital. When he arrived, Sanja, the hospital's spokesperson, welcomed him and offered a glimpse of a live surgery being performed with their new robotic surgical system.
**Understanding the Surgical Robot**
As he entered the auditorium with a glass wall, Freddie spotted a patient on the operating table, surrounded by a surgical team and a complex robot with three mechanical arms. Intrigued by the sight, he learned from Sanja that this advanced surgical robot performed minor surgeries while being directed by a skilled surgeon through a computer console. The robot's camera provided enhanced, three-dimensional views of the operational area, offering surgeons a clearer perspective than traditional methods allowed.
Sanja explained that the robot's arms had capabilities beyond that of human hands, including finer movements and the ability to reach difficult spots. Freddie was amazed, noting how the robot's steadiness eliminated trembling and fatigue—elements that could affect human-operated procedures.
**Insights from Dr. Cole**
After witnessing the robotic surgery, Freddie met with Dr. Cole, a seasoned surgeon experienced in this new technique. He bombarded Dr. Cole with questions, learning that the robot was not a substitute for surgeons but rather a tool that enhanced their abilities. The surgical robot was currently used only for minor surgeries involving the chest and stomach, meticulously regulated to prevent malfunctions.
Dr. Cole highlighted the robot's advantages: fewer incisions leading to less postoperative pain and quicker recovery times. He shared his success stories of performing surgeries on kidneys, hearts, intestines, and pancreases, proudly announcing their 100% success rate.
Freddie was inspired as he returned to his computer, racing to capture all the fascinating information he had uncovered. The robotic surgical system exemplified a remarkable medical breakthrough, igniting his curiosity about future innovations in medicine that could further transform patient care.
**Freddie's Exploration of Robotic Surgery**
Freddie, a school reporter, was thrilled to be assigned to cover the innovative surgery at a local hospital. When he arrived, Sanja, the hospital's spokesperson, welcomed him and offered a glimpse of a live surgery being performed with their new robotic surgical system.
**Understanding the Surgical Robot**
As he entered the auditorium with a glass wall, Freddie spotted a patient on the operating table, surrounded by a surgical team and a complex robot with three mechanical arms. Intrigued by the sight, he learned from Sanja that this advanced surgical robot performed minor surgeries while being directed by a skilled surgeon through a computer console. The robot's camera provided enhanced, three-dimensional views of the operational area, offering surgeons a clearer perspective than traditional methods allowed.
Sanja explained that the robot's arms had capabilities beyond that of human hands, including finer movements and the ability to reach difficult spots. Freddie was amazed, noting how the robot's steadiness eliminated trembling and fatigue—elements that could affect human-operated procedures.
**Insights from Dr. Cole**
After witnessing the robotic surgery, Freddie met with Dr. Cole, a seasoned surgeon experienced in this new technique. He bombarded Dr. Cole with questions, learning that the robot was not a substitute for surgeons but rather a tool that enhanced their abilities. The surgical robot was currently used only for minor surgeries involving the chest and stomach, meticulously regulated to prevent malfunctions.
Dr. Cole highlighted the robot's advantages: fewer incisions leading to less postoperative pain and quicker recovery times. He shared his success stories of performing surgeries on kidneys, hearts, intestines, and pancreases, proudly announcing their 100% success rate.
Freddie was inspired as he returned to his computer, racing to capture all the fascinating information he had uncovered. The robotic surgical system exemplified a remarkable medical breakthrough, igniting his curiosity about future innovations in medicine that could further transform patient care.