Computers and Medical Technology

The Future of Computers in Medicine

Angel Colandrea

Kevin Goncalves

Brittani Cotton

Introduction

• Computers and Technology are revolutionizing the world of Medicine daily, and can be used in the following areas:• Robotic surgeries• Electronic Medical Records• Personal Digital Asistants• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Computer Motion

Computer Motion develops and manufactures products for what it refers to as the "Intelligent Operating Room"™, including medical computers and robots.

founded in 1989 by Dr. Yulan Wang, now the company's Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice-President.

Goal was to revolutionize technology and improve patients’ lives.

Aesop Computer Motion’s first major product. A robotic system used for holding an

endoscopic camera in minimal invasive surgery.

Like a “third arm” for surgeon. Operated by foot pedals

Solved problems due to hand tremors.

In 1994, the AESOP 1000 system became the world's first surgical robot certified by the FDA in the US.

Problems: new users had to look down at the pedals before they could adjust them.

Aesop (cont.)

Motion followed with AESOP 2000 in 1996, with the enhancement of voice control, and in 1998, the AESOP 3000, which has 7 degrees of freedom, and provides more flexibility in how surgical doctors and nurses can position the endoscope.

By 1999, over 80,000 surgical procedures have been performed using AESOP technology.

Zeus First Prototype demonstrated in 1995 by Computer

Motion. Holds 28 robotic instruments. The surgeon can sit

comfortably at a master console and control instruments using a pair of master manipulators.

Advantages The fatigue factor is substantially reduced as the surgeon is

seated and does not have to constantly hold onto the instruments.

The robotic instruments follow the surgeon's motion while filtering out tremors. With motion scaling, they can also execute micro-movements which may be humanly impossible.

With robotic instruments, the incisions needed are even smaller than with previous MIS instruments, leading to less trauma on the patients and hence shorter recovery times.

Zeus (cont.)

Zeus (cont.)

Intuitive Surgical

Formed in 1995 based on research acquired at the Stanford Research Institute International.

With over 210 devices in use throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan, Intuitive Surgical is the leading company in digital surgery.

Collaborated with MIT, IBM Corporation, Heartport Inc., Olympus Optical, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Johnson and Johnson Company, and Medtronic Inc.

Came up with the da Vinci System.

The da Vinci System There are four main components to the system:

The surgeon console Pateint side cart EndoWrist instruments And Insite Vision System with 3D endoscope and Image

Processing Equipment. The surgeon sits several feet away from the patient operating

table, he has his hands in the main system interface and watches his work in 3D real-time progression.

The side cart contains the robotic arms that directly contact the patient.

The EndoWrist Instruments allow the robotic arms to move in a way that simulates human movement. They also move in full circles- an advantage over non-robotic arms.

The camera unit provides 3D enhanced images. It includes real-time high magnofication, high resolution images of the inside of the patient.

Video

The da Vinci System (cont.)

Benefits of Robotics in surgery: Improved Patient Outcomes Reduced trauma to the body Reduced blood loss and need for transfusions Less post-operative pain and discomfort Less risk of infection Shorter hospital stay Faster recovery and return to normal daily

activities Less scarring and improved cosmesis

The da Vinci System (cont.)

Detachable instruments

The da Vinci System (cont.)

Electronic Medical Records

Electronic medical record systems allow medical practices to manage all the information collected for their patients electronically, protecting the safety of the information and improving the efficiency of the practice. Cost of buying paper, folders, charts, ink, etc. Storage space Saves time

Electronic Medical Records (cont.)

Improves efficiency Less employees can do the same job Decrease in lost revenue Ensures complete documentation for every

patient (physicians can easily fully document every note.)

Improves patient care with improved chart quality, reminders, maintenance, and medical management.

Electronic Prescriptions A significant problem in current medical practice is

the rate of error in prescriptions. The single greatest reason for this is error in communication. A pharmacist may not be able to accurately read the writing of a a doctor even if it is reasonably clear. For example, 20 units written as "20u" could easily be misunderstood as "200" units.

Statistics: 17% error rate in outpatient clinics 24% error rate in new prescriptions 10% error rate in refills Total error rate in handwritten prescriptions is 34% Total error rate in electronic prescriptions is 4%

Also ensures patient information (such as allergies, history of the patient) is not looked over.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Advances in medical technology are allowing for

better diagnostic tools such as higher resolution MRI.

There is a horizontal tube running through the magnet from front to back, known as the bore of the magnet. The patient lies on his back and slides into the bore on a special table. Once the body part to be scanned is in the exact center of the magnetic field, the scan can begin. MRI’s use radio waves and pulses of energy, the MRI scanner can pick out a very small point inside the patient's body and determine the type of tissue. The MRI system goes through the patient's body point by point, building up a 2-D or 3-D map of tissue types. It then integrates all of this information together to create 2-D images or 3-D models.

MRI’s (cont.)