Journal

We were delighted to sit down with Silvia Zunino, MD, PhD and Daniel Venencia, PhD of Instituto Zunino to discuss the topic of advances in cancer treatment and the ways in which the institution improves lives. Based in Córdoba, Argentina, a small city of around 2 million people, the institution welcomes patients from the surrounding areas of Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

We were excited to sit down with Andres Huertas, MD, radiation oncologist, and Pierre-Alexandre Rigaud, medical physicist, both from the Radiotherapy Institute for the Sud Oise region in Creil, France. The Institute is part of Amethyst Radiotherapy Group.

Podcasts are a great resource for easy-to-access educational content as well as on-the-go entertainment. There’s a real uptick in healthcare podcasts as well as medical podcasts for doctors that cover topics across the expansive spectrum of healthcare.

We had the opportunity to interview Masayori Ishikawa, PhD, a Senior Medical Physicist at the Hokkaido University Hospital and professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University. Dr. Ishikawa has been a Novalis-accredited auditor since 2015.

TL,DR: Using a complete and standardized workflow for orthopedic surgery preoperative planning can support the best possible treatment outcomes for patients. The 7 steps below outline a preoperative planning workflow designed to both streamline the process and identify potential gaps in standard planning routines.

Learn about lung cancer detection, current treatment options and what’s in store for the future of lung cancer therapy with radiotherapist-oncologist Professor Mark De Ridder, MD from UZ Brussels.

This article explores the challenges within current surgical approaches used to identify and remove brain tumors and how the field of neurosurgery is changing and improving based on current innovation in medical technology.

It’s common knowledge that there are certain foods like fruits and vegetables that provide important nutrients to keep our bodies healthy, but did you know there are foods you can eat to support your brain health and function as well?

TL;DR: Watch the video and read the case summary below to learn more about an interesting hip replacement case and how preoperative planning with TraumaCad technology can make an impact on treatment outcomes.

An internet search of “increasing surgical efficiency” produces a plethora of articles and scholarly publications all recommending different ways to achieve this simple goal.

More often than not, the determining factor in whether or not a physician is sued is the patient’s perception of whether or not the physician cared about them. Ways that doctors can make a patient feel cared for are offering good consultation, providing accurate information regarding the treatment that the patient is receiving for their condition, and being prepared to adequately address any information.

“Since we started using Brainlab products in our new Digital O.R.s, overall surgical time is down 15%. We simply load the plans preoperatively onto the PACS and, through Brainlab Node, they are available in the operating room in seconds.”

A conversation with Surgeon and Digital Health Expert Rafael Grossmann, MD

A conversation with Nitesh Paryani, MD Tampa Oncology and Proton Founder and Medical Director

TL,DR: Revision total hip arthroplasty is performed on patients with an implanted hip joint that is not functioning correctly.

Image registration correlates digital patient images with the actual patient during surgical navigation. Many different modalities can be fused, all contributing to the goal of greater accuracy. The steps involved to complete image registration to begin navigation are preoperative planning, intraoperative image acquisition, combining pre- and intraop images and finally patient registration.

The most precious resource in the course of medical treatment is the doctor’s time. This resource, however, is becoming increasingly scarce due to the influx of amounts of data and the increasing effort required to document cases. This focus on data and documentation leaves less and less room for the empathic communication with the patient. Many approaches to solving this problem are concerned with the delegation of so-called non-medical tasks to other personnel, which makes sense for administrative tasks. For medical tasks, however, this leads to a further reduction of the direct contact between the doctor and the patient, instead of intensifying it.

As medical technology has been advancing at a rapid pace, Healthcare IT (HIT) has faced an increasingly growing demand for integration of computers hosting medical software.

Recently Alexander Rau, MD, Roland Roelz, MD, Horst Urbach, MD, Volker Arnd Coenen, MD, Theo Demerath, MD, Peter Christoph Reinacher, MD published a paper in which they examined the use of augmented reality (AR) — the real-time integration of virtual data into the user’s environment — in rhizotomy of the Gasserian ganglion. This common but challenging neurosurgical procedure is used to treat trigeminal neuralgia. The objective was to overcome the difficulties of manual landmark-guided cannulation of the foramen ovale by assessing the feasibility and accuracy of an AR-guided puncture.

Just a decade ago, the idea of incorporating spatial computing systems created primarily for gaming, like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), into medicine seemed like a futuristic dream. Today, these highly advanced tools for visualization are already in clinical use around the globe. They have a variety of uses, helping medical professionals with anything from teaching and training new clinicians to providing patients with a closer look at their diagnosis and treatment.

With the use of key paragraphs from the study “How can a digital operating room bring value into the complex hospital setting?”, we outline the five actions hospitals can take to generate more value through healthcare digitalization. These levers are data integration, digitally delivered care, digitized operations, digitally enhanced O.R. teamwork, and digitally improved patient journey.

3D printing and augmented reality are gaining pace in the world of surgery. Although different in design and output – physical vs. virtual – these complementary, next-generation data visualization tools have a lot to offer when it comes to producing patient-specific 3D renderings, supporting surgeons with surgical planning and more.

Image fusion software allows surgeons to take advantage of the rich information and higher quality of preoperative scans by combining them with intraoperative images. This is especially helpful for spine surgery, since elastic fusion software even matches images in which the position of the flexible spine differs in each scan. Image fusion can help surgeons make critical decisions about the procedure in the operating room.

It seems that nowadays there are hundreds of buzz words to describe digital operating room integration but very few solid answers about what they all mean

When a hospital builds a digitally integrated operating room, the potential to improve treatments and outcomes for patients through technology is enormous. That potential, however, can only be used to its fullest if all team members are fully trained and comfortable using these devices and software. So how do you ensure that your O.R. team gets the most out of this investment in advanced technology?

When it comes to brain metastases treatments, patients understandably have a lot of questions. The overarching question is often: What options do I have for my metastatic brain cancer treatment?

Personalized medicine, the tailoring of medical treatments to each patient, is becoming more common thanks to advances in technology. This individualized approach has the potential to improve overall care, surgical outcomes, and the treatment of diseases like COVID-19.

2020 and 2021 will remain in our memories as the years that turned existing infrastructures upside down. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the digitization of our society particularly in the healthcare sector.

Coronavirus has already changed the face of healthcare. We see operating rooms and surgical procedures adapting in three ways in response: Increased pre-surgical planning, and more video conferencing and remote post-surgical patient engagement.

A conversation with Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA

From an introduction to stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy, current standards and beyond, expert neurosurgeon, Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA dives into the details of this promising and precise treatment approach.

As our digital lives expand, we’ve all found that protection of our personal data is crucial in every transaction we make. However, the most complex and sensitive personal data may be that concerning our health. Laws around the world are in force or on deck to help mitigate cybersecurity attacks and data breaches that continue to plague the industry (1).

The old adage “Time is money” is especially true when it comes to construction projects. From skyscrapers to home improvement projects, any set back can start a chain reaction of delays. And every delay costs time, which means they can also be very expensive. The same is true for integrated operating room projects; Regardless of how thoroughly they are planned, unforeseen hiccups can result in time and money lost.

Recently, the German state of North Rhein-Westphalia created the ‘Competence Center 5G.NRW’ to help push the state into the lead market for 5G. This initiative aims to reduce technical entry barriers for companies, develops the economic potential for vertical markets – such as automotive and mobility, energy, food and agriculture, smart cities, healthcare and manufacturing – and accelerates the diffusion of innovation. It is supported by four main partners: SIKoM at the Bergische University Wuppertal, the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Technical University of Dortmund and the FIR at RWTH Aachen.

Artificial intelligence is already being used in healthcare, for example, to make sense of large amounts of complex data and automate formerly manual processes. AI algorithms are and will be used to assist humans with diagnostics, the analysis of medical images as well as outcomes and for understanding the surgical workflow.

Much of the technology humans develop has been and will be created out of the desire to go beyond our natural abilities. Computers, for example, were developed to automate mathematical calculations at speeds that far exceeded that which even the brightest brains were capable.

Although integration most greatly concerns hospital IT, administration often leaves this critical department out of resource allocation planning. Here are a few points HIT can use to demonstrate the value of integration and the importance of their involvement in decision-making.

You know the scenario: Your department was given the green light to pursue new digital health technology or room enhancement, you’ve spent countless resources planning and thousands of dollars (maybe even gone over-budget) getting the implementation just right. Then it goes live, doesn’t meet expectations, and people are looking for someone to blame.

Eric Gantwerker, MD, gives an interview in which he delves deep into questions surrounding serious gaming and medical education. Among many fascinating topics, he discusses the evolution of teaching and learning in medicine, how technology can add (and detract) value from medical education and the future applications of gaming in medical training.

A conversation with Sam Glassenberg, Founder & CEO of Level Ex

Virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality all have useful applications in the field of medicine. When it comes to using these spatial computing technologies intraoperatively, mixed reality has the greatest potential because it allows for interaction with both real and digital objects.

At our most recent Digital O.R. Symposium, we welcomed 130 specialists from 19 countries all over the world and had a chance to ask them their thoughts on O.R. integration. The respondents were experts from a wide range of professions, from doctors to IT to project managers.

“Brainlab O.R. integration allows fast access to patient data and automatic pre-load of patient data and images each day in the O.R. We were able to very easily integrate Brainlab software into our own server infrastructure, allowing us to autonomously monitor and maintain our 32 new operating rooms.”

Take a deep dive into the history and science behind surface guided radiation therapy (SGRT). Learn in detail how this technology works and supplements the accuracy of image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) systems.

“When you build a new O.R., the most important things are that you make the decision with your team and that the systems you choose are flexible to adapt to your workflow. Brainlab Digital O.R. fulfilled this and amazingly fit our workflow like a surgical glove.”

Written in cooperation with HT Group

What is Building Information Modeling?

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a process most commonly used in the construction industry. The aim of creating these models is to provide builders with all relevant information about the project in a digital format. This model is used and updated not just for construction, but also throughout the entire lifecycle of the building, encompassing everything from operations management to eventual demolition.

Brainlab President & CEO Stefan Vilsmeier and CEO and founder of Level Ex Sam Glassenberg recently discussed a variety of topics relating to the ever-evolving healthcare industry and the path forward for digital technologies in medicine.

What are electronic patient reported outcomes?

Electronic patient reported outcomes, or ePROs, is a mouthful of buzz words that simply refer to the questionnaires that patients are asked to fill out by their doctors related to their disease, treatments, and symptoms. The questions themselves can document a patient’s experience with physical, mental, and social well-being. Some examples include questions about pain, nausea, dry mouth, skin pain, swallowing, fatigue, numbness or tingling, taste, activity level, depression and more. Depending on the disease and treatment modality, the questions can vary, but all relate to changes in a patient’s quality of life. In the past, ePROs were filled out on paper and patients would have to mail them back to their doctors, but today there are software programs and tools that collect the data. Patients can now track and report their outcomes using familiar and personal devices

In every area of business, digitalization has become an essential part of staying relevant. The same shift is happening in the healthcare industry, as we’ll be exploring through posts on this blog. Disruptive technologies will continue to push boundaries and change the way O.R. teams administer surgical care. A lot of trends are on the horizon, but which are here to stay? Check out our predictions below.

When it comes to the future of surgery, those of us who work in the medical technology field often try to predict what’s to come to get ahead of the latest trends. Although medicine is highly regulated and therefore slower to adapt new technologies, in the last five to ten years we’ve seen an explosion of new products in a range of high-tech areas. Big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a huge role in medical software for treatment planning, decision-making and best practices in the future, but what about devices for surgery?

Read the transcript below

“I’m excited about the opportunity to present my vision to you this afternoon. Digital health represents a tremendous opportunity for growing closer in Europe, and staying healthy together. Let’s now focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies for inpatients.”

Robotics in healthcare is not a new topic. In many hospitals today, robots can already be found monitoring patients’ vitals and alerting medical staff. They deliver supplies and medicine on the hospital floor and work to improve strength and mobility in rehab patients. Perhaps the greatest impact of medical robots, however, has been in the operating room.[1]

An Interview with Mark McDonald, MD—Dr. McDonald discusses value-based healthcare in the US and the potential benefits it could deliver for both patients and providers.

A virtual machine, sometimes shortened to “VM”, mimics computer architecture and provides the same functionality as a physical computer system.

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Software computational load

A Graphics Processing Unit, otherwise known as GPU, is a computer processor chip that is focused on display functions and renders animations, video and images that can be seen on screen.

Virtualization is when something virtual is created instead of something physical. In computing, this could be a storage device or computer hardware platform.

The Central Processing Unit, the CPU, is often considered the “brain” of a computer where most calculations occur.