Jonathan Kiev MD - Tumblr

Medical devices play a crucial role in helping medical personnel analyze, monitor, and treat patients. Medical devices can range from simple tongue depressors to sophisticated imaging systems and complex programmable pacemakers. The main product categories include electro-medical equipment, surgical implants and instruments, irradiation apparatuses, in-vitro diagnostic equipment, and dental goods.

Surgeons go through some of the highest levels of training in the medical field due to the critical nature of many surgical procedures and the specialization required to perform them. Scientists and medical professionals are constantly working to improve the efficiency and success of various surgeries, including robotic equipment. Surgical robotic equipment is designed to assist in surgery, not take over entire procedures. The surgeon can still control the equipment with a telemanipulator or computer control when using a robot. A telemanipulator is a device that transmits the hand and finger movements of a person into a computer, which then sends the exact signals to manipulate a remote set of instruments. Telemanipulators have various uses, including lifting heavy objects and working with hazardous materials. When used in surgery, the device allows the surgeon to perform precise movements with a set of instruments mimicked by the remote robotic equipment. In a computer-controlled surgery, the surgeon controls robotic arms and surgical instruments with a computer using specialized software. This suggests the future possibility of remote surgery, which would allow surgeons to operate when physical contact is impossible or dangerous to the patient or medical professional. Telemanipulators and computers are not technically designated as robots since the devices need direct human control and cannot perform surgery without them. Robot-assisted surgery began in 1985 when biomedical engineer James McEwen, engineering physics major Geof Auchinleck, and other professionals created the Arthrobot. This robot used human voice commands to move and manipulate a patient’s leg into the proper position for surgery. Robotics Revolution, a 1985 National Geographic video about industrial robots, featured the Arthrobot. Another device created by the same team was a voice-controlled “scrub nurse” robot that handed surgical instruments to the surgeon with a robotic arm on command. These robots were used mainly for orthopedic surgeries at the time of their invention. Another robot, the Unimation Puma 200, was created to help position a needle during a brain biopsy. Several years later, researchers at Imperial College in London created PROBOT, which successfully performed prostate surgery. In 1992, scientists created ROBODOC, which assisted with hip replacement surgeries. The robot could precisely bore a small hole into the femur, eliminating the difficult procedure of carving it out by hand to fit the replacement joint. In 2008, ROBODOC was the first robot approved for surgeries by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 1994, a robot named AESOP became the first laparoscopic camera holder and was approved by the FDA. Laparoscopy includes tiny incisions in the abdomen or pelvis with the help of a camera. NASA provided funding for AESOP’s design because the robotic arm was intended for repair work in space. In 1996, the same company released the AESOP 2000 with voice control. The AESOP 3000, further improved in 1998, contained controls that allowed it to mimic the exact movements of the human hand. As for telerobotic surgery, ZEUS was the first robot used remotely by a surgeon. Introduced commercially in 1998, ZEUS was first used to reconnect fallopian tubes. In 1999, it performed a coronary artery bypass. ZEUS became known for further cardiac surgeries, completing 19 successful internal mammary artery harvests in 2003.

Pericarditis is when the thin, saclike tissue surrounding the heart becomes inflamed and swells. Pericarditis is characterized by sharp chest pain, as well as other symptoms. The pericardium's inflamed layers press against one another, creating this pain. This condition is a usually minor issue that disappears on its own. More severe instances may be treated with medication or, on rare occasions, surgery. Pericarditis can be detected and treated early, which can help to reduce the risk of long-term complications. It's worth noting that the most common pericarditis symptom is chest pain. It typically is experienced as a sharp or stabbing sensation. However, some people report dull, achy, or pressure-like chest pain. Additional symptoms include pain below the breastbone or on the left side of the chest, which generally progresses to the left shoulder and neck. It usually worsens when the patient coughs or takes a deep breath, but sitting up and leaning forward makes them feel better. Other signs and symptoms of pericarditis include abdomen or leg edema, cough, weariness, or a general feeling of weakness or illness, as well as a low-grade fever, pounding or racing heartbeat (heart palpitations), and difficulty breathing while lying down. The type of pericarditis the patient has will determine the symptoms. Pericarditis is divided into four categories based on the pattern of symptoms and the length of time they last. Acute pericarditis develops quickly and lasts no more than three weeks. Future attacks are possible, and it might be difficult to distinguish between acute pericarditis and pain following a heart attack. Recurrent pericarditis is the second form of pericarditis and develops four to six weeks after an acute pericarditis episode, with no symptoms in between. Persistent pericarditis, which lasts four to six weeks but not beyond three months, is the third form. The signs and indicators do not go away. The last type is chronic constrictive pericarditis, which develops slowly and lasts longer than three months. It's caused by a long-term infection, such as tuberculosis, which causes fluid to accumulate around the heart (pericardial effusion). Many pericarditis symptoms are similar to those of other heart and lung disorders. Therefore, patients need to get an accurate diagnosis and undergo treatment as soon as possible. Pericarditis is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Pericarditis may be triggered by a heart attack or cardiac surgery, leading to pericarditis or delayed pericarditis and infection, systemic inflammatory conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and trauma such as injuries to the heart or chest in a car accident. When a patient is diagnosed with pericarditis, it is generally a good idea to minimize physical activity. The reason is that physical activity can cause further complications, including cardiac tamponade and higher pericardial effusion, myocarditis, recurring symptoms, or constrictive pericarditis. While physical activity and sports are connected to better health, high-intensity exercise may trigger a long-lasting immunodepression that can go on for months after a certain threshold. Patients who have been diagnosed with pericarditis are generally more vulnerable to pathogens. In turn, these pathogens invade the myocardium, and other more metabolically active cells, resulting in myocarditis.