econ of Healthcare 6

ROBOTICS IN MEDICINE 1

The use of Robotics in Medicine: Orthopedic Surgery

Alycia Graham

CTU ONLINE

In this day and age more and more medical services are embracing the use of technology to add to the human care givers it is in this very same breath that we can mention many technical achievements that have been incorporated into the medical sectors and those still in development but geared towards being implemented in future as therapeutic medicine or even as means of palliative care geared into the alleviation of pain and in all make a comfortable transition for the patient. Some of these ground breaking innovations that have been put to use by medical staff around the world include cryogenics, robotics (which is the main topic of this paper) also still in development and which I hope to see soon being implemented in this field is nanotechnology in the form of nanobots, gene-manipulation, cloning, synthetic organs, bionic limbs allowing for unlimited movement and even super strength for persons whom for one reason or another have lost limbs as we wait for these technologies to mature as it were we have to note that these innovations may be based on current technology that’s very available and that others shall come through ground breaking innovations and technologies that shall be discovered in the near future, this meaning that these technologies shall be if not seamless then compatible with technology that is in existence. It is therefore important that with this explosion of knowledge and processing power that we come to terms with the fact that innovation and technology shall expand exponentially with each discovery making it easier for scientists to find out more about the human body therefore we might as well embrace the technology available in order to leverage this position on the oncoming positive technological onslaught.

Seeing the above mentioned advances in technology that may occur and some that have already occurred it is important to note that many of them have direct implications in the medical field that is Orthopedics therefore the more these technologies are seen to be applied in this field then the more important it seems that these technologies be embraced in the discipline for the sake of the patients care and the quality of care and the long run durability of these kinds of treatments therefore it is in the best interest of these medical institutions to embrace these technologies.

The use of robotics in the realm of surgery started in the year 1983 in Vancouver Canada whence it was used for an orthopedic procedure (Kwoh Y, 1988) and over 60 procedures were performed in the first 12 months of its existence and in 1985 the national geographic channel featured this robot. The same year another robot by the name Unimation Puma 200 was used to place a needle for a brain biopsy using CT guidance. Greater steps were taken in 1992 and the rest of the 1990’s and with advances in the processor and computer technology led to the advancement in robotics thus a reduction in the prices, having said this it is important to note that these machines are still very expensive and out of reach for many medical institutions.

The advantages of having robot include the accuracy this leads to shorter recovery in most cases as the statistics show these patients are out of hospital 50% sooner (Kelvin L, 2011). These shorter stays in hospital turn out to become even cheaper for the patients and have a better turn around period for the hospital allowing for the greater the number of patients that the hospital may serve over the same period of time as is with traditional methods of operation hereby allowing for more revenue collection for the institution and better service for the customers that happen to need the services of on orthopedic medical institution.

Secondly these robots are versatile, in that, they can be controlled remotely and without the need of the surgeon to be there and the elimination the need for an expert as the robot can be programmed to carry out the said procedure on its own. This may also be a disadvantage as shall be seen in the following paragraphs.

Thirdly the reduction of human contact with the patient’s internal organs and the general lack of a break from the sterile environments unnecessarily apart from crucial staff may reduce the incidences of infection for the patients by microbes or pathogens that may be carried into the sterile room where the operation is taking place rather innocently thus decreasing the rates of infection in the institution and reducing the patients recovery time.

Fourth since this machine may be autonomous in future or is operated remotely by a surgeon the incidences of doctor fatigue, that is so common in marathon procedures are done away with as the surgeon is free to conduct the procedure in relatively comfortable surroundings.

Fifth and finally it is without a doubt that these machines are far more accurate, steadier and in general less intrusive than the usual means of i.e. traditional methods of surgery therefore they are better than human hands. ( Meadows M, 2009)

Having mentioned the above it is then important to keep in mind that these machines’ also have their own faults and disadvantages these include the inability of the machines to reprogram themselves on the fly and act fast enough in the event of a crisis that has occurred in the middle of the surgery for example the dexterity and fast action employed by a surgeon in the event of a burst artery in order to save the life of the Patient.

Secondly there exists the problem of latency in that the actions of the remote controller (a surgeon) may be delayed and in the strictest sense may not be in real time this may have the effect of reducing the reaction time of the person carrying out the surgery thus at times making him or her ineffective especially when there exists a communication breakdown.

Third it goes without saying that the expense involved in the manufacture acquisition and training of staff in the operation of this machine may make this technology unreachable for some medical institutions furthermore this comes with such cost including maintenance that may prove expensive to some parties (McConnel S, 2003).

It is therefore important to take into consideration all these factors that may have a bearing to the costs that may be incurred by the institution. Having said this it is important to note that this machine may increase the costs incurred by the clinic in the case that we shall not be able to get a critical number of persons to undergo surgery by the use of this machine in order to break even with regards to the initial investment cost and finally the amount needed for the maintenance of the machinery. Therefore in order to be profitable this critical number must be surpassed.

This instrument may also be helpful in increasing the quality of care that the institution may provide its patients with regards to the shortened the amount of time that the patient may use convalescing thereby increasing the number of patients that may be served thus increasing revenue.

It is therefore my conclusion that this machine should be purchased and installed only if research may prove that the critical number of patients may be able to be served thus making this a profitable venture.

References

Kelvin Lepton, (2011), Robotic Surgery, Future Medical Technology.

Kwoh Y, (1988), a Robot with Improved Absolute Positioning.

McConnel Schneeberger, (2003), History and Development of Cardiac Surgery.

Meadows Michelle, (2009), Computer Assisted Surgery, An Update.