da Vinci Robot
When MeritCare purchased the da Vinci Surgical robot, it was with the future in mind: a future where a robot under a surgeon's skilled guidance would assist in heart bypass surgery. With the robot, these difficult and delicate procedures would be performed through three small half-inch incisions rather than the traditional 10-to-12 inch incision to open the chest cavity. At MeritCare, we are proud to say that future is now.
Developed by Intuitive Surgical of California and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the da Vinci robot has two major components. The first, is the surgeon's ability to view and control the console and monitor, which is situated a few feet from the patient, but theoretically be miles away. The console provides the surgeon with a sharp, three-dimensional view inside the body-sharper and more magnified than it could ever be with magnifying glasses worn by surgeons today. The other system contains three robotic arms-one equipped with a tiny camera and the other two equipped with surgical instruments-carry out the procedure through the small incisions in the patient's chest. Sitting at the console, the surgeon guides the surgical instruments through a set of fingertip controls. The da Vinci Surgical System was designed to enable complex procedures of all types to be performed through ports. Hundreds of procedures including cardiac, general, urologic and gynecologic procedures have been performed using the da Vinci Surgical System.
HERMES Control Center
MeritCare surgeons began working with the Hermes technology in January 2002; the computer is capable of understanding the surgeon's voice commands and controlling medical equipment in the operating room - providing the surgeon with an extra set of hands.
The Hermes system is designed to accommodate many medical devices used in the operating room, including a camera designed to take pictures during a procedure; a printer, which prints these pictures in under a minute; and a VCR, which can record a procedure. While wearing a headset, surgeons have direct control over these devices using simple voice commands. Hermes also provides the staff with important information on the status of each device using visual and voice feedback. The system increases room efficiency and alerts staff when a device is malfunctioning, disconnected or alarming.
The use of simple voice technology used in HERMES utilizes the most natural interface possible. The use of simple voice commands makes control of the medical equipment seamless and perfectly intuitive. HERMES returns direct control of the important high tech OR-equipment to the surgeon and allows a highly trained nurse (who would normally be required to control the devices) to refocus their efforts on higher value responsibilities in patient care.