Digital OP: If the robot assists – Handelsblatt

When Daniel Schubert wants to hear the opinion of a colleague before the critical section, it simply turns him into the operating room. The chief physician of General Surgery of the Hospital Saarbrücken directs the image of his OP-camera with a few taps on the screen of his computer-OP continues on the laptop colleagues. The network can leave via his assessment of his office. “During an operation, we are often faced with the decision whether we go now one or the other way. The opinion of a colleague so uncomplicated relieved to hear the engagement immensely,” says Schubert.

The Klinikum Saarbrücken has digitally upgraded one of its ten operating theaters in May. In addition to the opportunity to consult experts or transfer interventions in live classrooms, the technology offers surgeons more information. Four swiveling flat screens in the operating room to show not only the image of the surgical camera and endoscopes, but also earlier X-ray or tomography images. Nurses or anesthesiologists had to scroll them been in the medical record. Quick access to Altbefunde is also a gain in safety.

Robots relieve surgeons

“By digitizing the operating rooms, the procedures are precise,” says Michael Thorwarth, medical technology expert at the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group and self-surgeon. The improved visualization we can increasingly operate minimally invasive – that is, the instruments, including light and camera introduced about through the navel of the patient. The reducing side effects, and patients could be discharged earlier.

The operation times to be shortened. Firstly, through better data management, such as enable digitized images and patient information. In the long term but also by automated support in the core area. January Stallkamp research with his team at the Fraunhofer IPA in Mannheim about how robots can be used in the digital operating room. The vision of the future: you could automatically remove tumors once. Stable Kamp emphasized: Surgeons always retained the final decision robot might exculpate but

efficiency improvements in the operating room are necessary, because the number of hospital beds in Germany decreases as more and more being operated.. Half a million beds was available in 2013 – about 4.4 percent less than in 2005. 15.8 million times operated doctors in Germany last year, 2007, there were still 13.6 million operations. The number of surgeons is constant 19000-20 500. In the future, more interventions tend to be necessary, because the population is aging. Even today, nearly 42 percent of all operated patients older than 65 years.

Gentler interventions

For this growing group of patients, Bernhard Heindl looks now better equipped. The head of the surgical management of the clinic of the University of Munich was able to open a new building with 32 digital operating rooms at the Campus Grosshadern in September. Including hybrid operating rooms, in which imaging devices are in the sterile area, which are usually found in radiology.