A review on tele-manipulators for remote diagnostic procedures and surgery

With modern medicine and healthcare services improving in leaps and bounds, the integration of telemedicine has helped in expanding these specialised healthcare services to remote locations. Healthcare telerobotic systems form a component of telemedicine, which allows medical intervention from a distance. It has been nearly 40 years since a robotic technology, PUMA 560, was introduced to perform a stereotaxic biopsy in the brain. The use of telemanipulators for remote surgical procedures began around 1995, with the Aesop, the Zeus, and the da Vinci robotic surgery systems. Since then, the utilisation of robots has steadily increased in diverse healthcare disciplines, from clinical diagnosis to telesurgery. The telemanipulator system functions in a master–slave protocol mode, with the doctor operating the master system, aided by audio-visual and haptic feedback. Based on the control commands from the master, the slave system, a remote manipulator, interacts directly with the patient. It eliminates the requirement for the doctor to be physically present in the spatial vicinity of the patient by virtually bringing expert-guided medical services to them. Post the Covid-19 pandemic, an exponential surge in the utilisation of telerobotic systems has been observed. This study aims to present an organised review of the state-of-the-art telemanipulators used for remote diagnostic procedures and surgeries, highlighting their challenges and scope for future research and development.

Concept renovation: a new perspective of minimally invasive surgery. TT -:.

The development and innovation of laparoscopic vision platform has promoted the innovation of surgical concept and technology from laparotomy to minimally invasive surgery. From the initial use of reflector device with candlelight to observe the interior of the human body cavity, to the high-definition and ultra-high-definition laparoscopic vision system, from laparoscopic cholecystectomy, to the popularization and promotion of various laparoscopic surgery for malignant tumor, surgery has undergone great changes due to minimally invasive technology. In the new era, the application of three-dimensional and 4K laparoscope brings a new perspective to minimally invasive surgery, so as to promote the development of surgery in the direction of accurate anatomy and functional protection. In the future, stimulated by concept renovation in post-epidemic era of COVID-19, virtual reality technology and robotic surgery supported by the fifth generation wireless systems, as well as tele-surgery and distance training and teaching based on it, will become a new perspective for the development of minimally invasive surgery.Copyright © 2020 by the Chinese Medical Association.

Telemedicine in Urology: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Heading?

Context: Humanity is facing significant challenges, and in 2019, a new coronavirus caused an unprecedented global disease outbreak. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic vastly impacted health care delivery, generating devastating economic, social, and public health disruption. Although previously underutilized, it was not until recently that telemedicine emerged and amassed tremendous popularity. Objective: To examine and assess telemedicine's past, present, and future roles in urology. Evidence acquisition: We queried relevant literature investigating the role of telemedicine in urology using the electronic PubMed database and mainly focused on English-language studies of any design. Evidence synthesis: Growing attention has been paid to the widespread adoption of novel telehealth technologies for managing various diseases. Meanwhile, solid evidence supports the meaningful use of telemedicine for most urological diagnoses. Existing literature delineates telemedicine as a viable, safe, and convenient alternative to in-person clinical visits. Conclusions: The present article overviews the evolution of telemedicine in urology, and discusses its application in outpatient and physician's office settings. In addition, it highlights the technical, legal, ethical, and financial aspects of telemedicine while providing valuable insights and practical considerations for the future of telehealth in urology. Patient summary: Urologists must adopt telemedicine carefully in daily practice, always adhering to predefined regulatory frameworks.

Practicing Telemedicines in India

The great use of telecommunication technology propels new healthcare system of telemedicine through which diagnosis as well as treatment can be done in the remote areas. The ancient Greek language explain the terminology of telemedicine in the phrase of distance healing. As per WHO, Telemedicine is the delivery of health-care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health-care professionals using information and communications technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and the continuing education of health-care workers, with the aim of advancing the health of individuals and communities. Historically the concept of teleconsultation was evolved in the first half of twentieth century when the data of ECG was communicated through telephone lines, this can be traced as first evidence of this unique healthcare system. Further the introduction of electrical system of telegraph as well as evolution of telephone revolutionized this system of healthcare. when the Technology of telemedicine help both patients as well as service providers in multiple ways involving physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, paramedical staff, IT and electronics engineers, government, hospitals and end user public Location is now a days no problem and therefore there is no limitation of the availability of healthcare facilities to such location or remote location. The biggest role in such development is played by the communication technology which may provide healthcare services to every nook and corner of the location. It can decrease the health staff pressure because in India WHO guidelines ask to maintain the ratio 1:1000 of doctor and Indian public compared to present 0.62:1000 ratio of doctor and public. The great advantage of this system is that in case of epidemic or pandemic like COVID 19 Telemedicine can keep the health staff are well general public free from contagious infection (COVID-19). There are a number of networking communication modes that can be applied, which may improve the patient compliance,dosage regimen can be managed in better fashion thus increase the longevity of person life. Disasters management during pandemics present unique challenges which can be addressed effectively as happened during the lockdown. This technology-based practice can break the infectivity chain of the transmission of communicable diseases This chapter incorporates basic concept of telemedicine, its origin and types, communication technologies, services by telemedicine, types of telemedicine, tools of telemedicine, telemedicine software's and guidelines related to practicingtelemedicine in reference to Indian context. Copyright © RJPT All right reserved.

Robotic Surgery, Robotic Tele-Surgery, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Review Article

Background: The COVID-19 virus sweeps the whole world, with millions of people infected and a hundred thousand dead. This pandemic does not affect normal people only;it affects surgeons also. The number of surgeons worldwide is limited, especially experienced ones at risk of infection and death. Patients pay the cost of surgical shutdown by postponing their scheduled surgical procedure, which may affect their health and make them more morbid. During the pandemic, surgery is limited during the pandemic to emergent cases. There is a need to establish a way to provide surgical service from experienced surgeons without the possibility of virus transmission to these experienced surgical staff. Robotic and robotic telesurgery is emerging, a recent diagnostic and therapeutic tool that offers excellent surgical service without affecting the surgical team. Robotic surgery can be used in different fields of surgery in emergent and non-emergent cases during the pandemic and after the pandemic settles down. The aim: was to evaluate the role of robotic surgery, and Tele-surgery in offering global surgical services for emergent and non-emergent cases during and after the pandemic fades away. It is a way to face future pandemics without affecting higher senior surgical staff, especially during the lockdown period. Evaluate the role of Tele-surgery as a way of continuous training for younger surgeons during the pandemic. Conclusion: robotic and robotic Tele-surgery is an excellent method for providing surgical services by experienced surgeons to patients. © 2022 Surgical Society of Northern Greece. All rights reserved.

Feasibility and Safety of Dual-console Telesurgery with the KangDuo Surgical Robot-01 System Using Fifth-generation and Wired Networks: An Animal Experiment and Clinical Study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has drawn attention to telesurgery. Important advances in fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecommunication technology have facilitated the rapid evolution of telesurgery. Previously, only a single console was used in telesurgery; thus, there was the possibility of open or laparoscopic conversion. Furthermore, the 5G network has not been available for regional hospitals in China. From October 2021 to April 2022, dual-console telesurgeries with the KangDuo Surgical Robot-01 (KD-SR-01) system were performed using 5G and wired networks in an animal experiment and clinical study. A partial nephrectomy in a porcine model was performed successfully using a wired network. The console time, warm ischemia time, and control swap time were 69 min, 27 min, and 3 s, respectively. The mean latency time was 130 (range, 60-200) ms. A 32-yr-old male patient successfully underwent a remote pyeloplasty using a series connection of 5G wireless and wired networks. The console time and control swap time were 98 min and 3 s, respectively. The mean latency time was 271 (range, 206-307) ms. In the two studies, data pocket loss was <1%. The results demonstrated that dual-console telesurgery with the KD-SR-01 system is feasible and safe using 5G and wired networks. Patient summary: Advances in fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecommunication technology helped in the rapid evolution of telesurgery. Dual-console telesurgery performed with the KD-SR-01 system using 5G and wired networks was shown to be feasible and safe in an animal experiment and clinical study.

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON TELE DENTISTRY IN PUBLIC ORAL HEALTH DURING COVID-19

Providing medical care over long distances using communication systems and advanced technologies is called "telemedicine." In recent years, dentistry has witnessed a substantial amount of technological advancement. The utilization of computers, telecommunication technology, digital diagnostic imaging services, equipment, and software for analysis and follow-up have all seen significant advancements in recent years because of developments in information technology. The field of dentistry has progressed to a point where it can now cover far greater distances than it was previously capable of. In 1997, "TD" was coined to describe "the practice of employing video conferencing technologies to diagnose and provide advice regarding treatment across a distance." It provides consultations over long distances using electronic medical records, the internet, information, and communication technology. TD has four potential applications. These are teleconsultation, Tele-education, telemonitoring, and telesurgery. TD can also be used to monitor patients remotely. A general dentist in a rural region can communicate with a specialist for advice through teleconsultation by sending either live patient data or patient medical records to the specialist. This allows the dentist to provide better care for their patients. Remote rural practitioners can acquire continuous medical education using interactive video conferencing and web-based self-instruction. In telemonitoring, patients record and send data to doctors via phone, fax, or the internet. Continuous data collection and automated transmission of that data to another physician involved in the care of the patients is another method that may be used to assess the condition of the patients. Telesurgery allows experts in metropolitan regions to assist surgeons located in rural or distant places through the use of video and audio links made possible by the internet. This ensures that patients receive the best possible surgical care. This technology makes it possible for multiple dental practitioners to work together to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and a suitable treatment plan for patients who are seen in locations with a shortage of dentists or dental specialists or where dental specialists are not readily available. As a result, the objective of this study is to explore the development of tele dentistry and how it might be used in practice to address the disparities in oral health care between rural and urban areas.

Electro-fluid-mechanics of the heart

This article presents an overview of the dynamics of the human heart and the main goal is the discussion of its fluid mechanic features. We will see, however, that the flow in the heart can not be fully described without considering its electrophysiology and elastomechanics as well as the interaction with the systemic and pulmonary circulations with which it is strongly connected. Biologically, the human heart is similar to that of all warm-blooded mammals and it satisfies the same allometric laws. Since the Paleolithic Age, however, humans have improved their living conditions, have modified the environment to satisfy their needs and, more recently, have developed advanced medical knowledge which has allowed triple the number of heartbeats with respect to other mammals. In the last century, effective diagnostic tools, reliable surgical procedures and prosthetic devices have been developed and refined leading to substantial progress in cardiology and heart surgery with routine clinical practice which nowadays cures many disorders, once lethal. Pulse duplicators have been built to reproduce the pulsatile flow and ‘blood analogues’, have been realized. Heart phantoms, can attain deformations similar to the real heart although the active contraction and the tissue anisotropy still can not be replicated. Numerical models have also become a viable alternative for cardiovascular research: they do not suffer from limitations of material properties and device technologies, thus making possible the realization of truly digital twins. Unfortunately, a high-fidelity model for the whole heart consists of a system of coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations with a number of degrees of freedom of the order of a billion and computational costs become the bottleneck. An additional challenge comes from the inherent human variability and the uncertainty of the heart parameters whose statistical assessment requires a campaign of simulations rather than a single deterministic calculation;reduced and surrogate models can be employed to alleviate the huge computational burden and all possibilities are currently being pursued. In the era of big data and artificial intelligence, cardiovascular research is also advancing by exploiting the latest technologies: equation-based augmented reality, virtual surgery and computational prediction of disease progression are just a few examples among many that will become standard practice in the forthcoming years.

Feasibility of telesurgery in the modern era.

Telesurgery is not a foreign concept and dates to as early as the 1920s. The use of robots in medicine has had a very positive effect and improved outcomes with little to no adverse effects. Having global access to telemedicine and telesurgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and being able to provide top medical care to gravely ill and contagious patients without compromising the safety of the medical team would be a very big achievement. We explore the hurdles needed to make it a realistic goal and give recommendations to achieve it utilizing the major advancements that have occurred over the past few years in the fields of engineering, communication etc. The biggest issues needed to be addressed are of financial investment, legal concerns, and availability of high-speed uninterrupted data connections.

Telemedicine Applications in the Era of COVID-19: Telesurgery Issues.

Telemedicine allows for the effective delivery of health care to patients at a distance through the application of information technology to the field of medicine. This is optimal during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce interpersonal contact to mitigate contagion. Among the possible Telemedicine applications, there is Telesurgery, which involves more and more surgical specialties thanks to the numerous benefits in quality and cost containment. In the growing field of Telesurgery, its technical and legal implications must be considered. In this study, a traditional review of the scientific literature was carried out to identify the most relevant issues of interest in Telesurgery. The problematic legal aspects identified are mainly related to the difference in legislation between different geographical areas, which is critical in the case of malpractice. In addition, there is the possibility of a malicious hacker attack on the transmitted data stream either to steal sensitive data or to harm the patient. Finally, there are inherent difficulties with the technology used, such as latency issues in data transmission. All these critical issues are currently not adequately addressed by current legislation. Therefore, one can only hope for a legislative action to allow Telesurgery to be used safely.

Telehealth in surgery: an umbrella review.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth use has increased worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, hands-on requirements of surgical care may have resulted in slower implementation. This umbrella review (review of systematic reviews) evaluated the perceptions, safety and implementation of telehealth services in surgery, and telehealth usage in Australia between 2020 and 2021. METHODS: PubMed was searched from 2015 to 2021 for systematic reviews evaluating real-time telehealth modalities in surgery. Outcomes of interest were patient and provider satisfaction, safety, and barriers and facilitators associated with its use. Study quality was appraised using the AMSTAR 2 tool. A working group of surgeons provided insights into the clinical relevance to telehealth in surgical practice of the evidence collated. RESULTS: From 2025 identified studies, 17 were included, which were of low to moderate risk of bias. Patient and provider satisfaction with telehealth was high. Time savings, decreased healthcare resource use and lower costs were reported as key advantages of the service. Inability to perform comprehensive examinations was noted as the primary barrier. In Australia, peak telehealth usage coincided with the introduction of temporary telehealth services and increased lockdown measures. CONCLUSIONS: Patients and providers are broadly satisfied with telehealth and its benefits. Barriers may be overcome via multidisciplinary collaboration. Telehealth may benefit surgical care long-term if implemented correctly both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fifth Generation Cellular Networks and Neurosurgery: A Narrative Review.

Connectivity is a driving force for productivity across a wide variety of sectors in the 21st century, with health care being no exception. Fifth generation cellular technology (5G) is frequently alluded to in the mainstream media but understanding of the technology and its potential impact is not widespread in clinical communities. It promises unprecedented improvement in speed, bandwidth, reliability, and latency, all of which have significant implications for the way we use wireless data. 5G can be subdivided into 3 parallel technological architectures: extended mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine type communication (mMTC). These domains each present different and exciting prospects for the future of health care. This narrative review aims to elucidate the nature of 5G, its context within the development of telecommunications, and describe some of the notable opportunities it presents to the neurosurgical community. In many cases the requisite hardware has already been developed, but use has been limited by the requirements of a fast, reliable, and omnipresent network connection. Examples include telesurgical robots, remote supervision of procedures, integrated smart operating rooms, and clinician telepresence. The events of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the world's attention to digital transformation. The mechanics of 5G connectivity creates the capacity for these changes to be applied practically. An understanding of this technology is essential to appreciate the development and opportunities which will be part of our professional future.

Telesurgery and Robotics: An Improved and Efficient Era.

Telesurgery, or remote surgery, is widely known as a master-slave technology. It has achieved a milestone in surgical technology and intervention, providing widespread prospects of operating on a patient in a remote area with increased accuracy and precision. It consists of one or more arms controlled by a surgeon and a master controller in a remote area accessing all the information being transferred via a telecommunication system. This paper reviews the present advancements and their benefits and limitations in the field of telesurgery. A handful of operations have been done so far. However, due to time-lag (latency), global networking problems, legal issues and skepticism, and on top of the cost of robotic systems and their affordability have led to the concept of telerobotics and surgery to lag. However, with more information and high speed, 5G networking, which has been in a trial to reduce latency to its minimum, is beneficial. Haptic feedback technology in telesurgery and robotics is another achievement that can be improved; further, this allows the robotic arms to mimic the natural hand movements of the surgeon in the control center so that the master controller can perform surgeries with more dexterity and acuity. Due to coronavirus (COVID-19), this type of surgery approach can reduce the probability of contracting the virus, saving more lives and the future.

Utilising an Accelerated Delphi Process to Develop Guidance and Protocols for Telepresence Applications in Remote Robotic Surgery Training.

CONTEXT: The role of robot-assisted surgery continues to expand at a time when trainers and proctors have travel restrictions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. OBJECTIVE: To provide guidance on setting up and running an optimised telementoring service that can be integrated into current validated curricula. We define a standardised approach to training candidates in skill acquisition via telepresence technologies. We aim to describe an approach based on the current evidence and available technologies, and define the key elements within optimised telepresence services, by seeking consensus from an expert committee comprising key opinion leaders in training. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: This project was carried out in phases: a systematic review of the current literature, a teleconference meeting, and then an initial survey were conducted based on the current evidence and expert opinion, and sent to the committee. Twenty-four experts in training, including clinicians, academics, and industry, contributed to the Delphi process. An accelerated Delphi process underwent three rounds and was completed within 72 h. Additions to the second- and third-round surveys were formulated based on the answers and comments from the previous rounds. Consensus opinion was defined as ≥80% agreement. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: There was 100% consensus regarding an urgent need for international agreement on guidance for optimised telepresence. Consensus was reached in multiple areas, including (1) infrastructure and functionality; (2) definitions and terminology; (3) protocols for training, communication, and safety issues; and (4) accountability including ethical and legal issues. The resulting formulated guidance showed good internal consistency among experts, with a Cronbach alpha of 0.90. CONCLUSIONS: Using the Delphi methodology, we achieved international consensus among experts for development and content validation of optimised telepresence services for robotic surgery training. This guidance lays the foundation for launching telepresence services in robotic surgery. This guidance will require further validation. PATIENT SUMMARY: Owing to travel restrictions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, development of remote training and support via telemedicine is becoming increasingly important. We report a key opinion leader consensus view on a standardised approach to telepresence.

Telemedicine: Patient-Provider Clinical Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus pandemic has drastically affected healthcare organizations across the globe. METHODS: We sought to summarize the current telemedicine environment in order to highlight the important changes triggered by the novel coronavirus pandemic, as well as highlight how the current crisis may inform the future of telemedicine. RESULTS: At many institutions, the number of telemedicine visits dramatically increased within days following the institution of novel coronavirus pandemic restrictions on in-person clinical encounters. Prior to the pandemic, telemedicine utilization was weak throughout surgical specialties due to regulatory and reimbursement barriers. As part of the pandemic response, the USA government temporarily relaxed various telemedicine restrictions and provided additional telemedicine funding. DISCUSSION: The post-pandemic role of telemedicine is dependent on permanent regulatory solutions. In the coming decade, telemedicine and telesurgery are anticipated to mature due to the proliferation of interconnected consumer health devices and high-speed 5G data connectivity.