Medicine 4.0

Digital Assistants in the Operating Theatre

Telemetry Saves Valuable Time
In many cases, time is a crucial factor: in stroke patients, for example, there is a time window of a few hours during which permanent damage can be prevented by thrombolysis. It is, therefore, particularly important that the attending physician make a diagnosis as quickly as possible. Using telemetry systems, the emergency physician can record important demographic and medical data at the scene and transmit it to the hospital.  Doctors and nursing staff know at an early stage what to expect and can, for example, schedule a CT examination. In smaller hospitals, specialists can be called in, if necessary, to support their colleagues in the diagnosis.

Dr. Robot is Operating
Surgical robots are not new: back in 2001, a doctor in New York controlled a robot that removed the gall bladder from a patient in Strasbourg, France. Data transmission was carried out via a high-speed wired ATM connection. The basic idea was that remote-controlled surgical robots could once intervene in procedures on astronauts in space or provide basic medical care for wounded soldiers in the field.  However, even though numerous other telesurgical operations have been carried out in the meantime, their use has remained limited to the classic surgical situation. All other scenarios failed due to the availability of reliable broadband real-time transmission. Industry 4.0 technologies could bring a breath of fresh air to the industry. Thanks to networking, robots should soon be able to “learn” from each other and carry out many standard operations largely independently. Another option is the use of augmented reality. The surgeon can then, for example, display the heartbeat or graphic positioning aids graphically during the operation via data glasses.

Health at a Glance all the Time
So-called wearables could also contribute to health care in the future. Portable devices such as SmartWatches, activity trackers, and now even sensor shirts are particularly popular with fitness enthusiasts, who can use them to read pulse rates or calorie consumption at any time. With powerful mobile networks, the use of similar devices will also be conceivable in medicine soon - for example, for chronic patients.  In addition to recording classic vital parametres such as pulse rate and blood pressure, non-invasive blood glucose measurements would also be possible. Doctors can monitor their patients’ data from their office. If the values reach dangerous levels, the system automatically alerts emergency services. However, a few hurdles must still be overcome before this can happen. Initially, devices are needed that are not only suitable for recreational use, but also deliver exact, medically usable results. In addition, there are legal concerns. Even in the case of fitness trackers, many people fear that providers will access their customers’ data via the Cloud and use it for their own purposes. In medical applications, it must therefore be ensured that only a small circle can access the data and that hacker attacks can virtually be ruled out.