France was tested in the first robot anesthetist

France was tested in the first robotic anesthesiologist Reading the Science of Le Figaro, I met with an article of the journalist Jean-Michel Bader, in exclusive worldwide attended the daily work done by the first assistant anesthesiology, indefatigable, prototype automaton, commissioned by Doctors anesthesiologists to fly in his presence and under the permanent control, the fall back to sleep and to the conscience of the operators. As in the automatic pilot system of an airplane, the machine is a computer system, controls the depth of coma and fighting the pain during the operation. For the moment, in the surgical block of the hospital Foch (Suresnes) where Drs Liu Chazot and polish their prototypes, there are only two rooms of that there are twelve, equipped with the robot.
Other hospitals in different cities, including Berlin and Brussels, are involved in this multicentre research project. It all started in the 80s, when anesthesiologists realized that some operators, sometimes inadequate dose of anesthesia, were developing exact involvement and dialogue among surgeons performing it. That led to lawsuits in the USA. Conversely, a too deep anesthesia is associated statistically with a mortality of one year, when the doses of the products have been important. According to Professor Marc Fischler, who heads the department of anesthesiology at the hospital Foch, "there is to leave the black hole. " Ie that it was necessary to measure directly on the brain and not only with the classic clinical signs (blood pressure, heart rate) the real depth of anesthesia, a true "center of motion" of these specialists. A cerebral comfort at the end of the decade 80, signatures and Datex Ohmeda Diatak (Lifescan) to put monitors electroencephalogram (EEG) Front. Today, in the robot, a single electrode captures the complex waves produced by the brain (fast wake waves, slow waves of the invasion of sleep, suppression of the peaks of deep sleep). The device connected to the electrode estimated from frequencies present, a dimensionless number (named A, the spectral index) between 0 and 100, thanks to an algorithm. Zero is the absence of brain activity, the 100 is waking conscious. For surgery, general anesthesia or be carried between 40 and 60. The stronger the dose of anesthesia used, the patient "sleeps" more and more falling BIS. The BIS also serves as the alarm in case of a gas embolism obstructing the veins of the brain, descends over the BIS. It is the sign of cerebral well-being during the operation. Improve this tool, doctors at the hospital Foch made the point that automated computer sleeps and wakes up the patient without human intervention. The patient is placed on the front electrode, connected to the EEG monitor that sends data to a laptop which in turn commands two electric needles. One of these contains Proposol (a hypnotic short-term) and the other Remifentanil (a morphine fast). The journalist from Le Figaro, wrote this note, attended the induction of anesthesia given by the robot: as if in a submarine, the "Depth" of the dream descends from the sequence that was launched by the doctor with a computer mouse click. The course of the EEG on the screen reaches the desired interval, the velocity of blood and the dose of the drug were also announced. In parallel, muscle activity sensor spontaneous EMG) announced a "descent" as the electric syringe injected curare to paralyze the muscles. When the patient is completely relaxed, the anesthesiologist can make to the upper airway tube that is connected to the ventilator which would allow artificial respiration during the operation. "We are the owners of the machines, and they are our slaves," said Dr. Liu. There are currently no commercial robot, because it is a biomedical research project, but experts are persuaded that in five years robots will invade the blocks surgical anesthesia. Released from "those little tasks to push syringes," the anesthesiologist will be more available during the takeoff and landing, in the true monitoring of vital signs, the safety of the patient, installed it in the correct position, ie the realization of the real work of this medical specialty.