The Women's Hospital “Professor José Aristodemo Pinotti” (Caism) at Unicamp put into operation, around a month ago, a smart surgical room. It is an integrated environment, equipped with equipment and facilities that optimize surgical procedures. Among the resources available are high-resolution cameras, which generate images that can, for example, assist in intervention or be used as didactic-pedagogical content in Medicine classes. “In this case, we can either store these images for later use or transmit them in real time to an auditorium, inside or outside Caism”, explains gynecologist Luiz Francisco Baccaro, director of the hospital's Assistance and Research Support Division. .
According to Baccaro, the implementation of the smart operating room required investments of around R$508 thousand, which were invested in physical works and equipment purchases. Of this amount, R$220 was financed by the company Lanco, which intends to use the space to study the performance of the equipment. In 30 days of operation, the environment was used a few dozen times. “There are days when we perform five or six surgeries on site”, informs the doctor. The space, he adds, is designed to optimize the different aspects related to a surgical intervention. In the case of Caism, the procedures relate to the gynecological area. “The main objective of using this technology is to increase patient safety,” he says.
The presence of high-resolution cameras provides an important gain in several aspects. “We have four pieces of equipment. One of them is focused on the surgery site. Another is attached to the endoscope. With this, we can use the monitors in the room to observe details of the surgery, from different angles and positions. The interesting thing is that the images are monitored by the entire team. In a conventional operating room, only the surgeon has a privileged view of the surgical field. Whoever is next to him does not have the same perspective”, points out the director of Caism.
Furthermore, continues Baccaro, the monitors also allow access to patient exams during surgery, if necessary. “Another possibility, which we have not yet used, but which we could use, is to consult a specialist from another institution, in real time, about procedures with which we may not have as much experience.” Here, the director of Caism makes an observation that he describes as important. “We follow a very strict protocol. In the case of the use or transmission of images, we must obtain the patient’s written authorization.”
The gynecologist also points out other gains provided by the smart operating room. One of them concerns the logistics involved in surgery. The environment was designed so that no equipment touches the floor. This greatly facilitates the process of cleaning the space, thus reducing the time between one intervention and another. “Furthermore, we no longer need to keep gas cylinders, such as CO² [carbon dioxide], in the operating room. They stay outside and reach the environment via pipes. Previously, the team was forced to change cylinders inside the room, which increased occupational risk, as well as the time between surgeries.”
The smart room also has a UPS system, which means that no delay [brief interruption] in the event of a power outage. All these gains, Baccaro understands, not only optimize surgeries, but also contribute to faster recovery for patients. “In this smart environment, we perform open surgeries, but the space is often used to carry out endoscopic procedures, which are less invasive and facilitate the patient’s recovery.”
The doctor believes that the trend is for smart operating rooms to be increasingly incorporated by hospitals because of the set of advantages they offer. “In the future, I think the entire surgical center will follow this concept. Obviously, this does not only depend on the will of the hospitals, but mainly on the availability of resources, as the investment is not small”.
