Use of Medical Technology in the Operating Room
It is without question that technology is progressing rapidly and becoming increasingly prevalent in medicine. With artificial intelligence being used in radiology, robots assisting with procedures, and outpatient clinics moving to teleconsultations, technology is now an essential part of medicine. However, as these technologies become more common, especially within the operating rooms, it is important to consider the effects that medical technology can have1. The changes are largely beneficial, with increased automation and fewer technical errors, but there can also be negative effects of using such technology1.
The technologies available for use in operating rooms are becoming incredibly advanced. A recent development that has shown great promise is a device that merges virtual reality and augmented reality to assist surgeons in various procedures2. Tepper et al. (2017) discusses the HoloLens, which allows surgeons to make more informed decisions by providing a better look inside their patients, increasing the likelihood of positive surgical outcomes2. Similarly, robot assistants can also be quite beneficial for surgeries. Peters et al. (2018) conducted an in-depth review of robot technologies used during surgeries such as FreeHand v1.2, MiroSurge, and Einstein Surgical Robot3. Investigating a wide variety of surgical robots, the researchers found these technologies to be promising in improving surgical procedures, particularly in terms of increasing technical accuracy3. For example, these robotic devices are capable of making precise and minimally invasive incisions3. Despite these benefits, Peters et al. (2018) cautioned that more data is needed on these robots in order to fully understand their advantages and disadvantages3.
One particular drawback that has been observed in surgical robots, as described in Anvari et al. (2005), is the latency associated with robot-assisted surgery4. Latency is the delay in communication between robots and surgeons due to the time that is taken for robots to compute actions, which is problematic when surgeons encounter complications that need to be resolved quickly4. However, Anvari et al. (2005) is an older paper, and new developments are constantly being made as technology rapidly progresses. As previously noted by Peters et al. (2018), it is necessary to conduct more contemporary research on the various advantages and disadvantages of medical robot technology.
The use of medical technology in operating rooms does not solely rely on how beneficial the device itself is, but also on how it is implemented. Misser et al. (2018) reviewed existing literature to investigate different factors that can influence how successful the implementation of medical technology is in operating rooms5. The researchers found that important factors included an operating team’s training, communication, and workflow5. Without a focus on these factors, medical technology cannot be utilized to its full potential, preventing improvements in patient outcomes that are theoretically already in our grasp5. As such, it is important that future research investigates both the effects of medical devices as well as how these devices are implemented in hospitals or clinics. By doing so, medical professionals will gain insight into how to maximize the benefits provided by these technologies.
References:
(1) Ruskin KJ, Corvin C, Rice SC, Winter SR. Autopilots in the Operating Room: Safe Use of Automated Medical Technology [published online ahead of print, 2020 May 26]. Anesthesiology. 2020;10.1097/ALN.0000000000003385. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000003385
(2) Tepper OM, Rudy HL, Lefkowitz A, et al. Mixed Reality with HoloLens: Where Virtual Reality Meets Augmented Reality in the Operating Room. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017;140(5):1066-1070. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000003802
(3) Peters BS, Armijo PR, Krause C, Choudhury SA, Oleynikov D. Review of emerging surgical robotic technology. Surg Endosc. 2018;32(4):1636-1655. doi:10.1007/s00464-018-6079-2
(4) Mehran Anvari, Tim Broderick, Harvey Stein, Trevor Chapman, Moji Ghodoussi, Daniel W. Birch, Craig Mckinley, Patrick Trudeau, Sanjeev Dutta & Charles H. Goldsmith (2005) The impact of latency on surgical precision and task completion during robotic-assisted remote telepresence surgery, Computer Aided Surgery, 10:2, 93-99, DOI: 10.3109/10929080500228654
(5) Sewberath Misser N, van Zaane B, Jaspers JEN, Gooszen H, Versendaal J. Implementing Medical Technological Equipment in the OR: Factors for Successful Implementations. J Healthc Eng. 2018;2018:8502187. Published 2018 Aug 29. doi:10.1155/2018/8502187