Question

Surgical Technology program
Case study: A female patient is brought to the OR for a oophorectomy. The surgeon is planning to use the AESOP robotic system to perform the surgical procedure. The surgical technologist in the first scrub role is responsible for setting up the robotic manipulator before the patient enters the OR.

              Questions
Q1. Describe how the robotic components are cleaned and sterilized. What is the manipulator?
Q2. The surgeon will be able to speak commands, and the manipulator will adjust. How is this possible?

Q3. The surgeon requests pitch and then yaw. What is he asking for?

Q4. During the procedure, endometriosis is noted on the uterus and abdominal wall. The surgeon asks for the laser system. Which one is most likely to be used?

Answer 1

Q1. Describe how the robotic components are cleaned and sterilized. What is the manipulator?

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (MIS) can eliminate manual tremor, introduce scaling factors between the hand motions of the surgeon and the robotic instruments, and provide additional articulated joints at the tips of the instruments

It leads to improved patient outcomes and make more difficult procedures feasible.

All system components within the operative field are sterilizable by autoclave and are water resistant for cleaning by immersion.

For sterilization it is necessary to take into account that it can be performed in a steam autoclave using high pressure vapor and high temperature, in a chemiclave with low humidity and chemical solution or using gas sterilization.

To maximize the safety, reliability and accuracy of the entire system, the top design priorities have been simplicity and modularity: each hardware component operates independently and can be replaced at any time without disturbing the operation of other components, the number of moving parts has been minimized and software tasks execute in separate threads.

Q2. The surgeon will be able to speak commands, and the manipulator will adjust. How is this possible?

A surgical robot is a self-powered, computer-controlled device that can be programmed to aid in the positioning and manipulation of surgical instruments, enabling the surgeon to carry out more complex tasks.

Instead of the flat, 2-dimensional image that is obtained through the regular laparoscopic camera, the surgeon receives a 3-dimensional view that enhances depth perception; camera motion is steady and conveniently controlled by the operating surgeon via voice-activated or manual master controls.

For communication, the lead doctor talks through a microphone and two-way audio system, with barely any face-to-face interactions.

While surgical robot teams tend to be in relatively close proximity, they’re working less collaboratively, and there seems to be a lot more downtime for those involved, besides the doctor operating the equipment.

Q3. The surgeon requests pitch and then yaw. What is he asking for?

For a combination of bending and/or roll axes.

When two bending axes (a pitch axis orthogonal to the shaft axis and a yaw axis, or vice versa) or a bending axis (pitch axis or yaw) and a roll axis are used, the bending and rolling motions are decoupled from each other using power transmission parts such as wires, pulleys, links, and gears. However, compared to the interference mechanisms, more parts are required in the noninterference mechanisms.

Q4. During the procedure, endometriosis is noted on the uterus and abdominal wall. The surgeon asks for the laser system. Which one is most likely to be used?

Laser system is most likely used. Endometrioma vaporization with CO2 laser fiber alleviates the pelvic pain while preserving ovarian function and fertility.