Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/980339
t m c » p u l s e | m a y 2 0 1 8 32 Pederson called the device a "game-changer," especially for microsurgery and specifically for pediatric and reconstructive surgery. "We're able to see better and do better. We take care of kids with smaller spaces and smaller anat- omy, so we need this technology," said Chester Koh, M.D., pediatric urologist and director of the Pediatric Robotic Surgery Program at Texas Children's, who spearheaded the effort to bring the Orbeye to Houston. "This is not just another piece of technology. It's a needed tool that we're using that will help us take care of kids better." Typically, microsurgeons perform the initial part of the procedure using standard magnifying loupes to help them see tiny tissue and blood vessels, then roll in a cumbersome microscope to complete the next step of the surgery. Surgeons often spend hours with their heads slumped over, straining their necks and looking down at the operating table through either loupes or a microscope lens. But the Orbeye is designed to eliminate that discomfort. By combining both the optical capabilities of the loupes and microscope into a single camera and screen, surgeons can swap out their traditional lens for 3-D glasses that allow them to stand upright. "The original microscopes were invented much like a microscope you'd find in a lab. You're hunched over and you have to get the eyepieces just right. They're fine, but you have a very narrow field of view," Pederson said. "With the Orbeye, you don't have to lean over to look in the microscope. You suddenly have this giant field of view [on] this whole wall behind everyone. Hopefully, the next generation of surgeons won't have neck and back problems like I do." Because the Orbeye is so compact, it doesn't occupy as much space in the operating room and requires less time to set up. The camera—the size of a soda can—is attached to a flexible arm that can be easily maneuvered and angled in different positions based on what surgeons need to see. The large monitor allows everyone in the room to view the surgical procedure and coordinate more effectively. "We move body parts around from one place to another … and are often operating in places that are difficult to get both surgeons to see at the same time," said plastic and reconstructive surgeon Jesse Selber, M.D., director of clinical research and associate professor in the depart- ment of plastic surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who trialed the Orbeye in April. "With the microscope, you have two people connected [on opposite sides] to it. The Orbeye would allow both surgeons to be on the same side of the bed or people to be in differ- ent body positions that the microscope might not allow you to do due to physical constrictions." 18T0531060_SP_Food Truck Fridays_TMC Pulse Ad_MECH.pdf 1 4/6/18 4:14 PM Technology just gets better and better in terms of new generations of robots and new generations of microscopes. The key is to be at the forefront—not wait for someone to build it, but be there in the planning, in the testing, to benefit our patients as soon as possible. — CHESTER KOH, M.D. Pediatric urologist and director of the Pediatric Robotic Surgery Program at Texas Children's Hospital