Highly sophisticated robotics and \u2018bio-printing\u2019 are rapidly changing the face of modern surgery, significantly eliminating the risk of human error and in some cases even allowing doctors to perform procedures remotely, according to experts at Arab Health.<\/p>\n
Dr Peter C.W. Kim, vice-president and associate surgeon-in-chief of the Joseph E. Roberts Jr. Centre for Surgical Care at Washington DC\u2019s Children\u2019s National \u2014 which has received millions of dollars in donations from the UAE\u2019s government \u2014 noted that doctors will soon be able to 3D-print using bio-tissue, such as for an eardrum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat our engineers and researchers have done is not only design the plastic with it, but also graft cells onto it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is where we are going. You will (in the future) be able to have organs on the shelf. Instead of harvesting it, you can print it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially, we are starting with structural tissues like knee joints, meniscus, bones. But ultimately, you\u2019ll be able to incorporate functional tissue into it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re probably five to seven years away from that. It\u2019s like an inkjet, and you can put different cartridges for different cell types.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, Dr Kim noted that highly intelligent robots will soon be able to carry out tasks almost autonomously, with minimal input from supervising surgeons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at surgical tools, from the Romans to Medieval times to open surgery tools, these are simple extensions of human capability. Even today, these are simply power tools,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what we have done (with robotics) is to add better vision and intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the case of a robot that Children\u2019s National recently successfully tested to create a surgical suture, Dr Kim noted that the robot \u201chas situational awareness\u201d of its own.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s able to follow the task programmed into it. Imagine, you can programme the best surgeon\u2019s techniques into it and have it available anywhere, so, for example, you wouldn\u2019t have to send surgery patients from the UAE to the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Dr Kim, the research showed that compared to surgeons \u2014 some world renowned \u2014 the robot had made less mistakes over a comparable time frame.<\/p>\n
\u201cSixty per cent was done fully autonomously, and 40 per cent was supervised. The robot would choose what to do and the surgeon would simply approve it,\u201d he noted. \u201cWhatever you need, whenever you need it, however you need, you\u2019ll have access to the very best surgery. It\u2019s not just tele-operated, that\u2019s just a bandwidth issue. This has intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another example at Arab Health was the first-of-its kind \u2018Surgical Robotic System\u2019 which, essentially, is a machine-enhanced extension of a surgeon\u2019s hands and eyes. Using an eye-sensing camera that the surgeon controls with their eyes, and complex mechanical arms that respond to the touch of a fingertip from the surgeon sitting in an ergonomic console, the robot has already been successfully used to perform hysterectomies.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobotics have transformed the way we look at the healthcare industry and the near future will only witness an increased usage of robotics in this sector,\u201d said Muwafiq Matari, the CEO of Arabian Millennium Medical Training, which was showcasing the robot at Arab Health.<\/p>\n
Bernd Debusmann Jr.<\/p>\n