“Increase light to level 2. Switch to monitor one,” says the surgeon.

The lighting instantly changes to a brighter intensity. The image on a nearby monitor shifts to a different angle, displaying a crisp, clear interior view inside his patient’s body.

“Light increased to level 2. Monitor one on,” replies the automated voice of SIDNE, confirming the doctor’s commands.

Applying micro-fine adjustments to his remotely-controlled, flexible instruments, the surgeon completes the repair.

“That should do it,” the surgeon says. “How am I doing, SIDNE?”

“Your technique is excellent, doctor,” is SIDNE’s robotic reply. “You are amazingly talented.”

Sound like the stuff science fiction is made of?

Guess again. The operating room of the future is already here. Ten of these highly advanced, high-tech operating suites, each equipped with state-of-the-art, lifesaving equipment, will be a part of the new Mills-Peninsula Medical Center.

• The not-so-good old days
• Making progress
• Talk to me
• Designed for efficiency
• Real benefits belong to patients

The not-so-good old days

“The operating room, or OR, used to be just a sterile room with a table. Here, the surgeon made an incision in his patient, used his eyes to see and his hands to move things around and operate,” recalls Albert Wetter, M.D., a general surgeon at Mills-Peninsula.

Specific equipment for each procedure was rolled in on a cart trailing long cables that snaked throughout the room. Once the operation began, the patient, surgeon, medical team and isolated equipment were on their own without easy access to any other information.

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Making progress

In the last decade, advances in miniaturized television camera technology have paved the way for non-invasive surgery. Doctors can avoid incisions by inserting tiny scopes into joints, abdomen, chest and other areas in the body.

Highly maneuverable, these high-quality cameras are part of the new ORs at Mills-Peninsula. They will capture sharp, clear pictures and display them on viewing screens that deliver even greater detail than high-definition TV.

Tiny, remote-controlled, flexible operating instruments can gently make repairs. Some very specialized equipment, called Stereotaxis, actually uses magnets to move the instruments through the body, allowing the doctor to pinpoint surgical accuracy with minimal disruption to tissue.

As equipment became digitized, communication systems have greatly improved. “Our new suites are integrated ORs – meaning that they are open to the world outside of the room,” Dr. Wetter said. “So we can bring in the latest X-rays and test results, which the surgical team can access during the operation.”

Conversely, information can be exported outside the OR over secure channels for patient confidentiality. “A phone call over the computer allows other doctors to see in real time what’s happening,” Dr. Wetter said. “So we can get a virtual second opinion from physicians in the next room or around the world.”

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Talk to me

The communications system that controls how the information is sent from camera to screen or other locations is called the Stryker® Integrated Device Network or SIDNE (pronounced “Sidney”). SIDNE provides two-way video, audio linkage and high-definition digital imaging in a fully integrated, ergonomically designed environment.

“All of our new ORs will use this technology,” Dr. Wetter said.

“It’s the same communications system used on Air Force One.”

The system is also completely voice-activated.

By talking to SIDNE, the surgeon can instantly control every piece of equipment. SIDNE then replies so the doctor knows the command was understood and executed.

When a procedure is complete, SIDNE can even show a sense of humor. “Excellent, doctor,” it says.

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Designed for efficiency

By the time the patient comes into the OR, all relevant data is already in the system.

Gone are the carts and tangle of cables. Every suite is already outfitted with all the instrumentation necessary for multiple specialties.

Equipment is mounted on the ceiling with flexible boom arms that can move displays to anywhere in the suite.

Without cables to move or equipment to roll in and out, changeover of the rooms between cases is incredibly fast. Once the room is cleaned, it’s ready for the next case.
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Real benefits belong to patients

While all these advances make the medical team’s job easier, the real beneficiaries of the new ORs will be patients.

“A more efficient OR means the operation goes faster, and the patient is under anesthesia for a shorter period of time,” Dr. Wetter said. “Thanks to the increased visibility afforded by the cameras and viewing screens, the procedure can be even more precise, more effective and less invasive. That means patients can recover faster, get over their operations and on with their lives.”

For more information, visit mills-peninsula.org/surgery.
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