A Robotic Surgeon For Less Resourceful Areas

It’s three in the morning. You feel a sharp pain in the groin area. You try to ignore it, but you can’t. You get scared, so you decide to go to the emergency room and there they detect that you are suffering from an appendicitis crisis. So you immediately go into the operating room.

Two days later you are home, like new and ready to go back to work or your daily routine.

Normal, right? That may sound like it, but there are places where a circumstance like this is closer to science fiction. Access to medical services can mean miles of walking and the possibility of having a surgeon, a matter of days.

However, technology and artificial intelligence are showing the ability to reverse this situation. Do you want to know how?

It has already shown its effectiveness in the development of devices to detect and cure diseases, as well as in educational matters. However, the key is to go one step further to alleviate the difficulties of being born in areas with fewer resources.

In this sense, FlexDex Surgical stands out. It is  a robotic surgeon who considerably multiplies the life expectancy of the inhabitants of these places.

In addition to its precision in certain procedures, it has the advantage of being very economical. Its price revolves around 500 euros, approximately.

The robotic surgeon is designed for small incisions and sutures

Actually, this is not the first attempt.  There is already a system with the same claim that has the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration, but its price exceeds two million euros.

Therefore, its acquisition for these areas is almost unfeasible. That’s why the device that a team from the University of Michigan has created has been received with such enthusiasm. Although it is not prepared for very complex operations, it is suitable for minimally invasive procedures.

Thus, it is ideal for medical facilities present in places with limited resources.

To understand how it works, it is best to imagine it as an extension of the arm, moving in the same direction as the arm.

Located on the wrist, it has already been successfully tested in abdominal surgery, so its developers assure its usefulness to act on hernias, as well as perform hysterectomies and prostatectomies.

Thanks to the robotic surgeon, such procedures are much easier to perform. Fewer health personnel are required to carry them out, making it ideal for areas where economic and human sources are scarce.

Technology will increase life expectancy in countries without resources

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the length of life expectancy is determined by the place of birth.

• While in developed countries it reaches 80 years of age, in the most disadvantaged it does not reach 60.
• One of the most extreme cases is that of Sierra Leone, where the male population does not exceed 51 years.

However, they also state that it is very difficult to produce statistics in this regard. Many of the births and deaths are not even recorded.

Robotics technology will be a key element in solving this imbalance. The infrastructure in these places is very precarious. In many cases, urbanization is non-existent. Thus, citizen communications with health personnel or facilities are very complicated.

On the other hand, in most cases the issue is complicated by the existence of armed conflicts that hinder the work of doctors.

However, tools such as the robotic surgeon would greatly simplify the work of physicians operating in the field.

• First, it reduces the number of doctors and nurses in need.
• Second, the equipment they have is replaced with one that is easier to transport.

In addition, it presents more functionalities. Many have been designed with artificial intelligence. In this way, the diagnosis is accelerated and, therefore, the treatment is delivered more quickly.

Thus, betting on innovation and development is not only appropriate for developed or emerging economies. In the case of places without resources, it is urgent. The lives of millions of people depend on it. And we must be aware of it!