Medical Engineering Seminar

The evolution of advanced procedure rooms in the last two decades has been remarkable.  The advanced technology OR, the image guided IR suites, and the hybrid rooms with duo capability are springing up in academic centers, in disease-specific clinical sites, and in high volume private-practice sites. As simultaneous multi-team procedures for complex disease, minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, and multi-imaging guidance continue to proliferate, the need for complex engineering solutions for tools, and visualization grows. 

Non-white light imaging has also matured to become usable and useful modalities in the modern procedure/ operating room.  Optical imaging using near infrared or fluorescent imaging now allow real time biologic imaging exploiting cellular biology to enhance contrast between normal tissues and pathology. Biologic optical-imaging also now highlight locations of essential structures such as nerves, and vessels to avoid procedure-related injury.  These contrast and biologic labeling agents hold the promise of precisely guiding resection of cancers, drainage of infections, and relief of luminal obstruction of anatomic conduits while avoiding damage of nearby essential structures.

This lecture aims to summarize the current status of OR design and the most promising areas of future development.