This article talks about a new robotic drill that can help in skull surgeries, basically thanks to the time saving of the operation, because it goes about 50 times faster than if a person carries out the surgery. This drill has been created by researchers of the University of Utah and now it's being used for operations that involve hearing loss caused by a noncancerous tumor. However, it is thought to be also used in other kind of skull surgeries. The fact that it allows the operation to be done in less time has also other benefits, for example the decrease of infection because of the reduction of time the wound is opened, of costs and of human error.
In the article, the leader of the researches explains how it works. First, it collects the bone data of the patient and identifies where are the important veins and nerves. Then the researchers, using a special software, program the cutting path the machine has to follow. About the safety of the robot, researchers can place safety barriers to avoid the machine affecting parts which don't have to be touched, and it is also programmed to automatically shut off in case it gets close to a facial nerve. Also, to perform this kind of operations, a surgeon stands all the time next to the machine and he can turn it off fast whenever he wants, to avoid accidents.
The drill was first tested in plastic blocks and then in cadaver skulls to finalise it before testing it in human alive skulls. After being successfully tasted, it is thought to be launched in about one or two years. The creators say it will cost about $100,000, which is not a big amount considering it will remarkably reduce the time of surgeries and, therefore, the costs of each one. They also say it would be good to use this drill in teaching hospitals, because they believe it would be a great tool for learning.
PERSONAL OPINION:
The news catched my attention, but I was shocked when I read that it help to reduce the time of a surgery from two hours to two and a half minutes. It is huge difference of time, that really shows a difference. If the time of the operation is reduced that much, as the news says, it can lead to less infections and less costs. But time by itself is also important, because nowadays for non-urgent surgeries, people have to wait in a neverending line and for a very long time. So, if thanks to this drill operations that lasted hours can be done in just a few minutes, the long waiting lines for surgeries will disappear, which I think is an important benefit.
VOCAUBULARY:
· drill: trepant, "taladro"
· screw: cargol, "tornillo"
· to drain: buidar, drenar
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