[Artificial intelligence, robotics and digitalization in the concept of military surgery of the German medical service]
Hinck, Friemert (2020) [Artificial intelligence, robotics and digitalization in the concept of military surgery of the German medical service] Chirurg (IF: 0.9) 91(3) 240-244Abstract
As in other areas, military surgery is being transformed by developments in artificial intelligence, robotics and digitalization. Although the prospect of operating with a robot-assisted surgery system in the country of deployment while the responsible surgeon is in Germany is still a long way off, the training of military surgeons and the treatment of injured soldiers on deployment would nowadays be unimaginable without the digitalization of surgery in the armed forces. The structure of the medical environment in German clinics places restrictions on training that is close to operational reality. In the daily routine it is not possible to carry out the necessary numbers of deployment-relevant emergency surgical procedures under the expected conditions. Such procedures thus require the use of appropriate simulators or simulated scenarios that are as close to reality as possible. Although military surgeons are qualified in at least two specialist areas, the availability of telemedicine on deployment is helping to noticeably improve the treatment of injured soldiers. Telemedical consultation with colleagues in Germany makes it possible, for example, to reach joint decisions across different branches and disciplines.Until now it has not been possible to substitute the attending surgeon in the country of deployment with robot-assisted surgery systems or even robots for carrying out life-saving and stabilizing procedures; however, in order to provide surgeons with the necessary tools to successfully operate in situations where there is a shortage of personnel and materials in an inhospitable environment, use is made of the means that are currently available in the German medical services and constant efforts are made to explore the future possibilities of digital simulation. This article shows the reader the current status of digitalization in surgical training and deployments in the German armed forces.
Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31705280http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00104-019-01066-w
