Surgical trends
Exploring surgical trends in the operating theatre
Kate Woodhead RGN DMS looks at the latest surgical trends – from robots and artificial intelligence to 3D printing and virtual reality. She considers the steps that theatre teams need to take to ensure safe implementation of new technologies.
Advances made in surgery over the last decades have offered significant patient benefits including enhanced quality, reduced invasiveness and decreased post-operative pain for their recovery. The innovations look set to continue with developments including increased use of robots, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality, and three- dimensional printing (3D). There are a number of challenges associated with implementing new approaches to surgery, not least training and governance. Patients increasingly need to have full disclosure of the innovations, and the surgeon who will perform the surgery needs to ensure that informed consent is obtained with transparency. Surgical teams need to stay up to date with the latest techniques, technologies and patient safety protocols. New technologies can include new
techniques, modified procedures or new devices
to achieve the desired outcome – such as in the case of minimally invasive approaches to abdominal surgery, which have revolutionised the specialism over the past 30 years. Evidence- based practice and increased governance protocols have fundamentally changed the way that innovation in surgery has to take place. The Royal College of Surgeons (England)1
has led the
way in identifying steps for safe implementation of new technologies and the Medical Research Council2
has published guidance on the
development and evaluation of complex intervention research. The pace of innovation in many aspects of modern medicine is continuing exponentially, so it is to be expected that all health professionals will be involved at some time. Structured and well-designed training programmes are needed to ensure the safe implementation and dissemination of novel technology.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) It is surprising that the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy was undertaken only in 1985 and began a huge change in surgery. The main advantages were the small incisions, reduction in surgical site infections, early discharge from hospital and less postoperative pain for the patient. This innovation in surgery has been described as a paradigm shift in surgical practice. MIS techniques have small incisions, specialised instruments and advanced imaging technologies enabling the surgeon to work in small and often difficult to access areas. Since the first laparoscopic intervention, the technique has been used in many different procedures, each tailored to different anatomical sites and medical conditions. Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery experience less blood loss, lower opportunity for surgical site infection and improved cosmetic outcomes. The approach results in less trauma to surrounding tissues, leading to decreased postoperative complications. The future of minimally invasive surgery holds
great promise, driven by other technological advances such as artificial intelligence, robotics and telemedicine.
Robot-assisted surgery Advantages cited in the literature3
of robot-
assisted surgical procedures can provide surgeons with enhanced dexterity, precision and surgical navigation, while reducing the invasiveness of the procedure. It has come about by technological developments in robots, in imaging and in sensing technologies – which in turn have improved stability, motion accuracy and the likelihood of accessing anatomies located in previously difficult to access areas. Robots were first developed for use in healthcare to provide greater accuracy in manipulation and visualisation, moving from the laparoscopic 2D vision to the present robotic 3D vision. Robotic surgery has seen significant growth in Urology, Gynaecology and
14
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I July 2025
romaset -
stock.adobe.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
