These are my observations in reviewing the attached article of which was extremely well written.
* Full disclosure, we are not taking any financial renumeration for writing this and have no financial stake in SMD.
Integra Systems has been involved with SMD (Smart Medical Devices) for the past twenty-four months in a consultative fashion. Our transferable expertise has been related to wireless design integration, specialized knowledge sense for electronic protection, and testing for FDA wireless co-existence.
It has been a real learning experience for us to understand the basics of orthopedic surgical drilling that has not changed in over fifty years.
We do have a background in orthopedic surgery, so we can relate a bit. While the surgical drill has progressed from a hand held drill to now a portable drill using a lithium ion battery (non-corded) essentially drilling in a surgical fashion has not changed. It is a drill bit connected to a chuck, the drill itself, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
The surgical drill of today is essentially the kind of drill you would purchase at the hardware store…but much more expensive because of design requirements. See Shutterstock image of drill used for training medical students.
However for the surgical drill to perform correctly it has to meet unique challenges. If you take a standard drill (non-surgical drill), most likely you are drilling through an “end to end” solid interface (wood and or metal). You exert a constant pressure and feedback is continuous..density being the same. In the case of drilling through a bone interface this is not the case.
In layman’s terms, think of drilling through a 1/8 inch of wood, then solid foam, then of 1/8 inch of wood on the other side.
The challenge here is how do to you control not breaking out on the distal side of the bone not creating a plunge?
Today’s methodology is all about the surgeon and human feel to not plunge (orthopedic term) to harm a distal bone/tissue/nerve/arterial interface. So the surgeon has two choices. Slow down the drilling of which creates thermal energy of which can destroy bone marrow or plunge to ensure, “non thermal” energy. This is the current orthopedic surgical drill environment today. Either case of the use model this is not good.
While a image intensifier (X-Ray) is often used during the procedure to view current drilling status; is not ideal. It simply exposes that entire surgical team to added radiation that they simply do not need.
Smart Medical Device provides the surgeon essentially a HUD “Heads Up Display” on a real time basis to prevent the plunge and to eliminate thermal energy degrade of tissue. The surgeon sees the visual thus allowing the immediate surgical decision on the fly. It totally changes the game for the surgical experience driving down risk and cost.
I equate this solution to the fighter pilot of today having all the information real time providing sensor data, versus trying to figure out all the analog gauges of the past. However, in the case of the current surgical drill environment of today, there are zero gauges... but flying blindly through a thick layer of fog feeling your way.
The Smart Surgical Drill truly is a transformation of real time sensor robotics at a drill level and provides a multi-faceted feedback loop to the orthopedic surgeon of today and tomorrow. Should this be the new standard of care for orthopedic surgery?
Please also see the use of Bluetooth Low Energy in the use of medical devices, i.e. pacemakers that validates this new and innovative use model, i.e. the Smart Drill.
