Surgery is a field that is constantly developing, with new technological advancements popping up all the time to make surgery easier, cheaper and more efficient. However, despite all of the developments taking place, people are primarily focusing on the advancements in robotics which, albeit extremely important and innovative, is not the only area in which surgery is advancing. There have been considerable advancements in areas of medical science such as stem cell transplants as well as 3D printing for use in surgery preparation and training. So although they’re absolutely essential, read on to find out more about why the future of surgery is about so much more than just robotic advancements.
High Cost of Robotics
One of the most significant drawbacks of robotic advancements in the medical field is the cost. Although larger hospitals with big budgets may be able to afford not just the equipment needed to implement robotic advancements in their surgical departments but also the associated costs of actually using the equipment, as well as training up surgeons on how to use the equipment best, smaller hospitals are unlikely to be able to afford these high costs.
Combining robotic advancements with more cost-effective solutions is a great way to combat this, to give hospitals access to state-of-the-art technology and incredibly useful and low-cost inventions that will do just as much good in the operating room. For example, products like the innovative surgical retractor by June Medical are providing a solution to old-style medical retractors with upgraded features such as self-retaining mechanisms, adjustable lights which surgeons can use to improve vision and the fact that it is a single-use and sterile plastic, which makes it extremely cost and time-effective for hospitals.
Advances in 3D Printing
3D printing can be advantageous to advancing surgical techniques for many reasons. Most predominantly, its ability to produce a replica of a planned operation, which can serve as a platform to perform mock surgeries and train surgeons. It can also be helpful for adapting surgical instruments such as fixation plates before surgery is carried out to improve the precision of an operation as well as reduce the time the surgery takes to be carried out. This is important, especially for larger surgeries, as patients which have had surgeries that take longer than 100 minutes have been associated with being at a greater risk of infection and therefore need to be monitored more closely post-surgery.
Advances in Stem Cell Technology
The advancement of stem cell technology is also making great leaps in the surgery field. Particularly in terms of transplants and regenerative surgeries, the uses of stem cell technology are being investigated. This is very much a developing area still, however, there have been cases in which stem cell donors were able to facilitate a corneal tissue transplant, with evidence of lower rejection rates too. If this were to work out, there would be so much more scope for surgical advancements using bio-advancements rather than exclusively robotics.