engineering students get firsthand look at robotic surgery at saint thomas health center
kim chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
as technology evolves and advances, engineers are often on the frontier of that innovation.
a group of about 50 mechanical and electrical engineering students from 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 ’s raymond b. jones college of engineering along with several pre-med students from the college of liberal arts & sciences, visited saint thomas west hospital in nashville nov. 7 to learn about how robotics is making an impact in health care.
students observed how saint thomas health is changing the surgical care industry through the use of robotic technology. the visit began with students watching a patient having renal surgery using a state-of-the-art davinci si robot through the use of live stream technology to the linda and mike curb institute of advanced medical education. following the surgery, students had a hands-on practicum with the robot.
“this is a great opportunity for our students to see robotics technology in action,” said greg nordstrom, professor of engineering at lipscomb. “it brings to life what they are learning in the classroom. they are seeing that this equipment is making a huge impact on health care and is helping provide a better quality of life for people. our students today are very ‘change-the-world’ minded and it is good for them to see how their profession has a humanitarian impact.”
this treatment option offers patients a less-invasive surgical approach that incorporates the latest advancements in robotic-assisted technology and allows a surgeon greater visualization, enhanced dexterity, precision and control. patients typically experience less pain, a shorter hospital stay and a faster return to normal daily activities as a result of robotic surgical procedures compared to traditional procedures.
the engineering students witnessed how what they are learning in class and in labs are put into practice in a real-world setting. saint thomas health surgeons demonstrated the use of the latest in engineering technology. using two small cameras, the system creates a three-dimensional, high definition view of the operative field. surgeons work at a surgeon console with controls that connect to very small surgical instruments. the console’s controls use intuitive® motion technology to mimic natural hand and wrist movements, allowing surgeons better precision than traditional open surgeries.
“i'm excited to continue this partnership with 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 ,” said dr. ben dehner, chief of urology at saint thomas west. “this is a unique opportunity to bring real-world medical technology into an academic setting, giving students the opportunity to experience new developments firsthand and learn how their future contributions will impact medicine.”
students agree that seeing engineering in action is a valuable learning experience.
“you see this kind of technology on tv sometimes and in books, but its cool to see what we are learning in school can really save lives,” said caleb janelle, a junior electrical engineering major from reading, penn.
“it was quite interesting seeing that technology is saving lives,” said abdul basit, a sophomore electrical engineering student from pakistan. “i think as engineers we should try to use technology to help humanity.”
brent keally, area sales manager for intuitive surgical, makers of the davinci si robot, said the need for engineers is great and will continue to grow in the future.
“i don’t know that these students yet fully realize the capacity engineering has to impact lives,” he said. “our society has to have engineers to continue to develop advances in medical technology that will impact the quality of life. these students will one day build it. i will sell it and physicians will use it to save lives. the engineers who developed the davinci si robot technology believe that they have truly changed lives. our engineers love it when we send them stories about the lives that have been impacted because of their engineering.”
the day served as inspiration for future health care workers as well.
“i am so excited and inspired by what i’ve seen today,” said barbara haffner, a senior pre-med students from columbia, tenn. “it’s inspiring to see how we can take what we are learning out into the field and see how it can be applied in the real world. it excites me to think about what can happen.”
for more information about engineering studies at lipscomb, visit www.fellaworld.com/engineering.
--photos by kristi jones