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Current Status of
Telesurgery
Telepresence was spawned in the 1950’s by the
atomic energy industry’s unique need for the remote handling of dangerous
isotopes. These applications, termed "teleoperation", allowed hazardous
materials to be handled safely at a distance while being monitored by
television. Modern "telepresence" adds multisensory input that recreates the
remote visual, auditory, and tactile environment. This allows the operator to
feel physically present at the remote site, in terms of sensory input and the
ability to manipulate objects. The perception of distance is erased, and the
operator can act effectively in a locally recreated environment that is in fact
an illusion.
Baltimore,
MD…Wireless Ambulance Telemedicine May Lessen Stroke Morbidity
A pilot project is testing the feasibility of using
wireless telemedicine to compress the time interval between onset of ischemic
stroke symptoms and beginning definitive therapy. The project is funded in part
by a $500,000 grant from the National Library of Medicine, and by contributions
from the U. of Maryland Hospital (UMAB) and BDM Federal, Inc. Project goals are
to develop and integrate technology that enables video images, audio, vital
signs, and ECG rhythm strips captured from within a moving ambulance to be
transmitted over a digital wireless telephone system (Sprint/ American Personal
Communications; http://sprintspectrum-apc.com). This
information is reviewed in real or near-real time by tertiary center
neurologists sitting at workstations in their offices, where they can monitor
and manage the patient.
Telemedicine in Trauma Care
Since early 1995, The Dakota Telemedicine System
(DTS) has extended specialty telecare to seven rural hospitals from the hub
Medcenter One hospital in Bismarck, ND. These small hospitals, most located
more than 100 miles from Bismarck, are staffed by primary care physicians and
physician assistants. As reported in the most recent Telemedicine Today/ATSP
4th Annual Program Survey (Vol. 5, no. 4), about 25 medical
consultations/month were being done by the DTS in 1997. Emergency
teleconsultations have been a focus of the system since its inception. An
ongoing study has focused on trauma teleconsultations from three of the rural
hospitals. Among these three, there are about 19,000 outpatient visits yearly.
Before telemedicine, significant trauma was universally transported to
Medcenter One’s Level II trauma center in Bismarck, staffed around the
clock by emergency physicians. |
