Surgeon Folds and Throws Paper Airplane Using da Vinci Robot (video)

From Swedish hospital YouTube channel: Dr. James Porter, medical director of robotic surgery at Swedish folds a small paper airplane with the da Vinci robot to demonstrate how this device gives surgeons greater surgical precision and dexterity over existing approaches.



With over 600,000 views, this video undoubtedly brings good publicity to the hospital.

However, the robot costs on average $1.3 million, in addition to several hundred thousand dollars of annual maintenance fees. Surgical procedures performed with the robot take longer than traditional ones. Critics say that hospitals have a hard time recovering the cost and that most clinical data does not support the claim of improved patient outcomes.

The manufacturer Intuitive Surgical has sold more than 1,000 units worldwide.

References:

Prepping Robots to Perform Surgery, The New York Times, 4 May 2008.
Wikipedia

Comments from Twitter:

Meenakshi Budhraja @gastromom: Cool !!

Westby Fisher, MD @doctorwes:  Surgeon Folds and Throws Paper Airplane Using da Vinci Robot (video) bit.ly/KG2EG6 - Manual faster, no?

PDara MD, FACP @JediPD:  da Vinci good for that

Skeptical Scalpel @Skepticscalpel:  Finally a use. Maybe the airplanes could have the hospital's logo on them. Folding a paper airplane. Amazing feat by a surgical robot? I think not. My blog. is.gd/6tBcZp -- Folding a paper airplane. Amazing feat by the surgical robot?  http://goo.gl/cz7lC

Ravi Pamnani @ravrav0: Surgical robots: Folding tiny paper airplanes - CHECK. Actually improving clinical outcomes - TBD. bit.ly/LEp3jg  #medtech

Jenaro Fdez-Valencia @JenaroFV_MD: after all ... it doesn't fly! If he did a boat instead, it would work. Can he try?

Robot Doctors - Neurologist stays in Chicago but sees patients across the globe

From NBC Chicago:

Neurologist John Wapham lives in downtown Chicago, but he can see patients anywhere in the world ... from his apartment. And he does. He's an expert in treating strokes, and with the help of a robot and a broadband connection, he's able to be at a patient's bedside instantly.


"This brings specialists to to the remotest parts of the country, and the world. I've popped open my laptop on Michigan avenue and treated patients in another state, " he says. And in the not too distant future, these robot doctors could be on the battlefield, or at the scene of a horrible car accident: instantly.

Some critics fear that telemedicine may not be accurate enough. For example, the accuracy of teledermatology was inferior to real-life clinic dermatology for melanoma diagnosis in a recent study: http://bit.ly/8A4oiu

References:
Robot Doctors: Future of Medicine? NBC Chicago.

The Stroke Robot Will See You Now - Mayo Clinic Video

Mayo Clinic — April 30, 2010 — Imagine this: you're eating dinner with your family and suddenly your left arm feels numb. Your speech is slurred. It could be a stroke, so you've got to get to the hospital fast. But what if your hospital doesn't have a stroke specialist or what if that doctor is out of town? The answer may be telemedicine. Doctors at Mayo Clinic are using a telemedicine robot that allows them to be face to face with patients who are miles away.