Robot doctor in emergency stroke

RP-7 robot picks up patients at the emergency room, the screen on the top shows the image of a specialist doctor (Photo: physorg)

Starting next month, stroke patients who are transferred to the emergency room of 21 hospitals in Michigan state (USA) may wonder a bit when they see the ' doctor ' 1.5 m high with the head attached to the screen. camera. Don't worry! Because this robot doctor has connected via the Internet to a stroke expert who is always ready to work even though he is hundreds of kilometers away. The tendency to use robots as a bridge between up-and-down doctors in emergency cases of stroke can significantly improve the chances of recovery for patients.

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital (SJMO) is the first place in the United States to participate in the Michigan Stroke Network project (established in mid-October 2006), allowing stroke specialists in a large hospital with The state shares experiences with colleagues at smaller hospitals. When becoming a member of the project, treatment centers will be arranged with a leading doctor ready to assist 24/24. At that time, appointed doctors use laptops and the Internet to connect to robots at member hospitals, so they can consult with colleagues who are close to patients.

Superintendent SJMO Jack Weiner said: ' When connecting with a doctor remotely via the Internet, we actually have a doctor who is available at a remote hospital to perform emergency instructions and diagnoses. Guess and give treatment regimens for patients '. This is a better choice than the immediate transfer of patients to modern hospitals with modern equipment, Mr. Weiner said. In addition to costs, this move can significantly slow the healing process. Under the new program, some patients will be transferred to SJMO but only if their bodies do not respond to thrombolytic drugs.

Matsushita Group has just introduced a team of blood transport robots to laboratories in Japan.10 robots work synchronously and can serve 9,000 blood bags per hour (photo). (According to Kyodo)

Similar remote doctor programs for treating strokes are being developed or piloted in some states and cities in the US including Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Washington. According to Dr. Gregory Albers, a neuroscientist at Stanford University's stroke center, many patients will receive special remedy through these programs and the hospital will be involved at no cost. SJMO has invested US $ 2.5 million in prepaid technology to set up the network and will incur an annual cost of US $ 2 million, of which 50% will use rental and maintenance robots and the rest will be spent on salaries. The program also includes professional training courses for doctors in member hospitals.

While many remote health programs rely on videoconferencing technology, SJMO chooses to use RP-7 robots because of its mobility that makes them more user-friendly. In addition, robots have been widely used in hospitals and contributed to changing the interactive nature of passive and active medical examination and treatment. For example, robots will act as the eyes of a remote doctor to help them observe the treatment process more comprehensively or will assist the doctor during an emergency consultation in the emergency room. Experts predict this network will soon be applied to other specialties.

PINK SNOW