#Subsidy #development #smart #surgical #knife #ICThealth
In recent years, M4i, in collaboration with UZ Leuven, has already conducted a very extensive study into the clinical application of a smart surgical knife. This showed that the iKnife can recognize tissue from, among other things, brain tumors in just a few seconds during cutting, with more than 98% precision.
Molecular fingerprint
The so-called iKnife is an electro-surgical smart surgical knife that creates smoke when cutting when it comes into contact with tissue. This smoke contains molecules and is a kind of fingerprint of the tissue. Such a molecular fingerprint contains a lot of information that allows the surgeon to distinguish a tumor from the surrounding tissue; information that is not visible to the surgeon’s eye. However, the analysis device is quite large and during previous tests it appeared to be quite in the way in the operating room. That is why the research team is now working on a handy and more user-friendly screener.
“Making our current iKnife, or molecular navigator, more compact is difficult because we want to influence both the sensitivity and the accuracy of the current system as little as possible,” says M4I researcher Eva Cuypers. “This means that we are facing some tough technical challenges. For example, we have to use a different type of detector to make everything compact, which means we also have to develop a more compact part for the smoke supply. The principle remains the same. This ensures that we can properly compare molecular profiles of the new system with the profiles from our previously developed model. Artificial Intelligence will help us to see whether we can actually translate our current model to the new system.”
How a smart surgical knife works
The operation of the iKnife is based on a special analysis technique called mass spectrometry. Using this technique, surgical decisions can be significantly improved. About 60% of brain tumor patients experience a relapse within five years after surgery, because the tumor has grown back from the remaining residual cells.
“In all likelihood, a smart surgical knife such as the iKnife will help to recognize tumor cells more quickly during brain surgery,” says Maastricht neurosurgeon Olaf Schijns. ” This allows us to remove a brain tumor faster and more completely without affecting ‘healthy’ brain tissue. Once we have sufficiently proven that the technique offers benefits for this specific patient group, it is even conceivable that we will also use this technique to treat other patients, such as those with severe epilepsy.”
Other smart tools The use of smart instruments in the operating room is not new. It Zuyderland for example, uses smart glasses in the operating room for knowledge sharing, supervision, training and education. And at Bravis Hospital, smart glasses were used during the third corona wave to allow nursing staff to remotely monitor coach for tasks that normally required two caregivers to be present, but this was not possible due to crowds and absence.
