ROBOTS IN THE ICU
They were once the stuff of science fiction, but now robots are showing up in our daily lives. Learn why they are especially useful in helping very sick children.
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Cardiac surgeon Michael Black is making his rounds with this -- a four foot tall, metal robot!
Michael Black, M.D.
Cardiac Surgeon
California Pacific Medical Center
San Francisco, CA
"What can be better than being available almost all of the time?"
Using a joystick, Doctor Black operates the robot from his office or even from home.
Michael Black, M.D.
"Before I go to bed at night from home, I can check in with my robot."
Doctor Black drives the robot right into patients' rooms. Thanks to cameras, this is what patients and their families see -- and this is what the doctor sees.
Doctor Black can also read lab work, X-rays, and even monitors. More importantly, he can see the small patients.
Michael Black, M.D.
"Unlike an adult who can say, 'I don't feel well,' the verbal communication skills are absent, and so, it's wonderful to see what the kid looks like."
And he can explain treatment to parents any time -- day -- or night.
Wini Delange and her son, Bas loved having access to the robot.
Wini Delange
Mom
"The doctor would be right there if we would need him."
Bas Delange
Had heart surgery
"If I was in pain, the doctor could just come immediately."
And for some, just knowing Doctor Black can always be there makes all the difference.
Bas Delange
"I felt safe."
BACKGROUND: Robotic technologies are becoming an everyday part of medicine. Robots can be seen helping a surgeon perform the most minute operations on tiny infant hearts. Robots are found in pharmacies dispensing prescriptions. Now, robots can even be found wandering the hallways of hospitals helping doctors connect face-to-screen with their patients.
PATIENT INTERACTION: Cardiac surgeon Michael Black, M.D., has recently been experimenting with a robot in the pediatric intensive care unit at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. The doctor controls the four-foot tall robot with a joystick from him office ... or even his home. Not all emergencies or questions happen when the doctor is at the hospital. The robotic interaction allows Dr. Black to answer questions and look at a patient even when he cannot be there. "I think it provides the family and the children with an extra amount of security and more time for the doctor to explain things and see the patient," says Dr. Black. "As a pediatric heart surgeon, we feel compelled to be at our patient's bedside most of the time."
NOT JUST INTERACTION: The robot used by Dr. Black allows him to do more than just speak to his patients and their parents. He can also look at scans, X-rays, and charts.
OTHER USES FOR ROBOTS: Robotic technologies are allowing surgeons to perform surgeries with more precision than the human hand could ever perform. Dr. Black also performs "touch-free" surgeries on his pediatric heart patients thanks to the da Vinci Telemanipulator. Robotics and video-assisted cardiac procedures allow surgeons to get a closer look at the surgical field and work at a much smaller scale than ever before.
Traditional heart surgery, still performed by many surgeons, requires the patient's chest to be opened with a large incision. With video-assisted surgery and robotics, surgeons can do the same surgery with only three or four incisions, or ports, in the skin. Dr. Black cites several reasons a robotic surgery can lead to a better outcome:
- Less blood loss -- meaning less need for transfusions
- Less pain or discomfort after the surgery
- Less contact between the surgeons, open air, and the surgical site, meaning less chance of infection
- Shorter hospital stay
- Faster recovery
- Less scarring
Victoria Steiner
California Pacific Medical Center
Communications and Marketing
3801 Sacramento St.
Suite 520
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 600-2969
steinv@sutterhealth.org
Copyright © 2005 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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