News • 4K UHD imaging
A successful decade of surgical wall monitors
Over the last ten years, OPERION from Rein Medical has been a byword for surgical monitors and workstations that can be integrated into the walls of operating theatres.
Surgery
Article • Women in surgery
Skull & bones? Female specialists fear not
Currently, 25% of the junior physicians in Germany are female – which in international comparison puts the country in one of the top spots. However, only 5% of head of department positions in German university hospitals are held by women and not even 10% of orthopaedics professors are women.
News • Renal disease
New design improves dialysis
Interdisciplinary team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the university’s McKelvey School of Engineering finds better way to design clot-prone grafts currently used for dialysis.
Sponsored • Robotics in the OR
Increased safety for patients und less stress for the surgeons
In early 2020, Landeskrankenhaus (LKH – regional public hospital) Feldkirch in Austria procured two robotics systems. Dr Burghard Abendstein, head of department of Ob/Gyn, welcomes this – as he says – rather unusual but future-oriented decision of the hospital management and has been using the Asensus Senhance surgical system for laparoscopic procedures in gynaecology.
News • Over the next decade
Robotics set to transform spinal surgery for millions
Robotics, AI, and machine learning can make spinal surgery more accurate, efficient, and safer, thereby reducing costs, patient recovery time, and radiation exposure.
Article • Surgical robotics
Elevating outcomes of surgery
What’s in a name? In the case of Asensus Surgical, Inc., previously known as TransEnterix, Inc., the recent rebranding doubles as a mission statement for the manufacturer of surgical robotics systems: The initial ‘A’ stands for artificial intelligence and augmented surgery, reflecting the company’s emphasis on new technologies designed to enhance the operator’s cognition (‘sensus’…
Article • Covid-19 collaterals
Coronavirus impacts heart surgery across Europe
Cardiac surgery across Europe is being set back as a result of the ongoing coronavirus. Operations are being postponed, treatment delayed, and critical care staff have been redeployed to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on health services. However, gaining a clear picture of the Europe-wide situation, and the long-term effects coronavirus will have on heart surgery, is a challenge…
Article • Gender and medical career
Neurosurgeon, wife and mother of three: breaking social bias against women
Running a neurosurgery department when you’re a woman is rare enough, but if on top of that you’re a mother of three, you’re an exception. You’re also living proof that it is possible to combine a demanding profession with the challenging task of bearing and raising children. A leading Spanish neurosurgeon shared her experience to raise awareness during the recent EANS meeting.
News • Restoring proprioception after amputation
New surgery improves 'phantom limb' sensation, prosthesis control
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have invented a new type of amputation surgery that can help amputees to better control their residual muscles and sense where their “phantom limb” is in space. This restored sense of proprioception should translate to better control of prosthetic limbs, as well as a reduction of limb pain, the researchers say. In most…
News • Fewer heart surgeries, more patient deaths
Landmark study examines 'Covid effect' on cardiac surgery
The most deadly global health crisis in a century has resulted in a substantial decline in overall heart surgery volume and an unexplained increase in deaths after coronary artery bypass grafting, according to late-breaking research presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
News • Surgical endoscopy
Olympus to acquire Quest Photonic Devices
Olympus Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Quest Photonic Devices B.V. for up to EUR50 million including milestone payments to strengthen its surgical endoscopy capabilities. Quest offers advanced fluorescence imaging systems (FIS) for the medical field, enabling more surgical endoscopy capabilities, compared to conventional imaging technologies.
Interview • IT analysis and study
Optimising OR procedures in orthopaedic surgery
Could surgical procedures for hip or knee arthritis be improved? IT specialists at Leipzig University Hospital’s Innovation Center for Computer-Assisted Surgery (ICCAS), and physicians in the Department of Orthopaedic, Trauma and Plastic Surgery department, analysed and optimised the operating room (OR) setup, legwork and instruments handling. We asked project manager Juliane Neumann, at…
News • Aneurysm operations
4D simulation increases safety in brain surgery
Aneurysm operations in the brain rank among the most delicate procedures in neurosurgery. The highest demands are placed on surgeons when choosing the type of intervention, planning the route and carrying out extremely delicate procedures on the blood vessel. A new training technology co-developed between Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and ARTORG Center of the University of Bern, will…
News • Getting into shape
'Prehabilitation' to aid recovery after surgery for older patients
Older adults about to undergo elective surgery should undertake a sustained programme of targeted exercise beforehand to counteract the muscle-wasting effects of bedrest, new research suggests. A study published by researchers in the University of Birmingham’s School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences showed that short term ‘prehabilitation’ strength exercises, undertaken…
News • Philips and InSightec partnership
Expanding access to MR-guided focused ultrasound for incisionless neurosurgery
Royal Philips and InSightec, a global healthcare company focused on the therapeutic power of acoustic energy, announced a collaboration to expand access to MR-guided focused ultrasound for incisionless neurosurgery. By developing compatibility between Philips’ advanced MR systems and the Exablate Neuro platform from InSightec, the two companies will support expanded access to MR-guided focused…
Article • Senhance® Surgical Robotic System
„Robotic systems are the future of medicine“
In April 2017, St. Marien Hospital in Siegen, Germany, made robotic history: it was the first hospital in Germany to introduce the Transenterix surgical robotic system. Since then, more than 450 surgeries were performed with the Senhance® surgical robotic system and the expertise of Professor Dr Dietmar Stephan, Head of Minimally Invasive Surgery, is in high demand – worldwide.
Article • Resecting brain tumours
Benefits of ultrasound in neurosurgical oncology
Italian neurosurgeon Professor Francesco Di Meco, explored the current and potential role of intra-operative ultrasound in neurosurgical oncology during the annual meeting of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) this October. The extent of resection is considered a prognostic factor in operative neuro oncology surgery and image-guided surgery is being regarded as one of the…
Article • Workplace inclusion
Surgery in a wheelchair: breaking barriers in the OR and beyond
You don’t need to stand up to stand out. A few decades ago, a little boy believed he could tend to patients in spite of being in a wheelchair – and he did. During the EANS 2020 virtual meeting, Prof. Dr. Thomas Kapapa explained how he breaks barriers and helps promote diversity every day in his clinical practice in Germany and Malawi.
News • Cooled radiofrequency ablation
Novel technique 'stuns' arthritis pain in shoulder
A novel outpatient procedure offers lasting pain relief for patients suffering from moderate to severe arthritis in their hip and shoulder joints, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the RSNA.
Sponsored • Please! No cables in our operating theatres
Refurbishment success in seven surgical units
Among refurbishments at seven operating theatres at Marien Hospital in Hamburg, Germany, are new PCs and wall-mounted monitors supplied by the Mönchengladbach-based medical IT manufacturer and developer of software and hardware Rein Medical GmbH. ‘It was important to find a supplier which specialised in hardware for the operating theatre and who could supply high-quality products,’ said Rolf…
News • New pandemic-related features
Imaging platform to support remote patient observation
Sony has announced an update to its vendor-neutral medical imaging platform Nucleus. This version built in direct response to the pandemic, introduces remote patient observation with new recording functionalities for use in the operating room (OR), Intensive Care Units (ICU), endoscopy suites, interventional rooms or anywhere else in the hospital.
Article • Creating instruments, implants & more onsite
Reforming surgical procedures with 3D printing hubs in hospitals
Increasingly, hospitals use 3D printing in surgery because the technology can enable fast, unique production of patient-tailored tools at relatively low costs. ‘As the technology itself is developing and accelerating at a fast pace, hospitals may be left behind if they choose not to adopt these advances,’ said Limor Haviv, surgical 3D printing designer at 3D4OP. Today, 3D printing is used in…
News • Cancer diagnostics
A glimpse into the tumor in 3D
In order to analyze tumors, they have to be cut into thin slices. Now, a new technology has been developed that makes pieces of the tumor visible in 3D without cutting them.
Sponsored • Keeping up with Progress:
Robotic Evolution Meets Innovative Life Cycle Management
While the debate on the added value of robotics and robot-assisted systems has been in full swing for a while now, the demand for robotic surgery throughout Europe’s medical institutions continues to grow exponentially, particularly in specialties like visceral surgery and orthopaedics. But what exactly are the benefits and downsides involved with the use of surgical robots?
News • Strict separation policy
Creating 'COVID-19 free' hospital areas to save lives after surgery
Setting up ‘COVID-19 free’ hospital areas for surgical patients could save lives during the second wave of the pandemic – reducing the risk of death from lung infections associated with coronavirus, a new global study reveals. Researchers working together in Brazil and beyond found that that patients who had their operation and hospital care in ‘COVID-19 free’ areas had better outcomes.…
