Every single year, millions upon millions of people’s lives are changed for the better by surgery. Artifacts dating back to over a thousand years ago prove that minute forms of it existed, and documents from the 1600’s depict surgical procedures. However, more has been learned in the last 20 years than every one before as technology and knowledge advance. Whether people are diseased, in urgent need of help, or want a simple procedure done to help them do what they want everyday, advances in surgery help them.
100 years ago, if someone got arthritis, the only treatment was something called arthrodesis, a process in which the damaged joints are fused together to form one large bone. This allows the patient to lift things and put weight on the
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arthritic joint, but not have any movement.
Less than 60 years ago,if an athlete damaged knee cartilage or their ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), nothing was done. The athlete would continue playing for a few more years and proceed to tear both of his or her meniscus. The result was severe arthritis which, as said before, could only be treated by partial to full fusion. The athlete would never play again, and would likely spend the last 20-30 years of their life in a wheelchair or using a cane. That is, until the invention of arthroscopy. In 1930, Masaki Watanabe, a chinese orthopedic surgeon, created a small tubular “pole” with magnification and a light in it. It was used to look inside joints and evaluate before open surgery. Watanabe later performed the first arthroscopy once fiber optic and camera technology caught up with his ideas. The modern version of the arthroscope is a tube less than 3 millimeters wide with an HD camera and a bright light on it. Both arthritis and anterior cruciate ligament damage can be easily fixed with this new arthroscope. First, several small incisions are made. Then the arthroscope, …show more content…
forceps, and possibly a scalpel are entered into the incisions. Damaged tissue is “snipped” out, and then the incisions are either stitched up or covered with a steri strip. S. Ward Cassels MD, the first person to perform an arthroscopy in the United States, said “I am convinced that the Watanabe arthroscope is a good diagnostic tool which gives the examiner information not available by any other means”, (Cassels SW, 287). Seeing how the recovery time is 6 weeks rather than 6 months, Cassels is probably not far off. In the 1920‘s, sterilization was first mentioned at a national college of surgeons meeting.
Many surgeons then began to realize that when they sterilized their area and tools, their patients became infected less. Ten years later, it became a requirement for hospitals to remain sterile at all times, however it wasn’t 20 years later that any real tests were given. The sterilizing methods? All materials were soaked in ethylene oxide, which is still used non-primarily today. However, doctors of today are very careful when using it, for concentrations of 3-100 % ethylene oxide are not only cancer-promoting but are also explosive. Doctors in the 50s released it as a gas which was around 8% ethylene oxide and 92% water. This doesn’t mean everyone who came into contact with it got cancer, but it does mean it reacted with cancer cells in a healthy way, furthering the disease. The understanding of sterilization was merely a scratch at the surface of what we know today. It’s importance is incredible, and is often overlooked in fact, the Center for Disease Control says, “Furthermore, care must be consistent from an infection prevention standpoint in all patient-care settings…”(Sterilization Practices). More is known about bacteria than ever before as scientists have advanced forward. Surgeries possible long ago are now practical due to the ever-low 2.1% infection rate. This achievement allows millions to walk away from surgery healthy. However, what makes those surgeries
possible? Anesthesia is defined as, “ ...general or local insensibility, as to pain and other sensation…” (Dictionary.com, anesthesia). It is any drug/substance that will make someone insensible to pain. This is obviously very useful, even necessary, to surgery. It was first developed long ago in the 13th century by greek philosophers. The drug opium, coming from poppy plants, was burned and inhaled. It provided for a half hour of painless stupor. This was found useful for hundreds of years until the 1900s, when surgeries began to take longer than a half hour. This is when gases such as nitrous oxide began to be developed. Their potencies have been tested and trialled to form the best anesthetic possible. Spinal catheters are also used often to limit only the nervous system and not leave the patient "drunk". The invention of the surgical robot, particularly the da Vinci machine, makes complex surgeries much more simple. First of all, the camera the da Vinci machine is equipped with is capable of a 20x optical zoom, which means an area the size of an apple can be broadcasted on to a 40” tv. Second, movements much more precise can be made as the sensitivity can be adjusted. Jennifer Polland, a scientific journalist, says, “It’s also much more precise than even the most skilled doctor with the steadiest hand” (Jennifer Polland, Future of Robotic Surgery). A foot on the joystick could be a centimeter on the robot. This provides for much better control in tight areas. Lastly, less people are needed, given that da Vinci does multiple jobs at once. It allows surgeries to be infinitely easier and quicker. Finally, and possibly the most important to surgical advancement, comes the general knowledge of anatomy. Over time, especially with new coming equipment such as the CAT scan, there is a massive amount of knowledge, For example, more was found out about the brain in the last 15 years than ever before, and more in the past 5 years than the 10 before. diseases can be found and prevented quicker with electronic test results. Advances in surgery have helped people advance in life. The invention of the arthroscope, advances in antiseptic, advances in anesthetic, the invention of da Vinci and better general knowledge have contributed greatly. They help millions a year to do what they want and live their lives happily and free of pain.
Popular television paint a glorified image of doctors removing the seriousness of medical procedures. In the non-fiction short story, “The First Appendectomy,” William Nolen primarily aims to persuade the reader that real surgery is full of stress and high stakes decisions rather than this unrealistic view portrayed by movies.
In the book Complications, Atul writes about his experiences as a surgical residents and demonstrates a point of view of surgery that does not idealize it, but instead displays the actual pressure and complexity it actually is. Atul Gawande speaks to fellow surgeons, surgeons to be or simply those who believe that the study of surgery is just memorizing procedures, nonetheless it’s so much more complex due to the fact that every case that arrives is different. He is able to portray the complexity of surgery by putting his readers in heart racing situations faced by doctors, explaining step by step procedures, giving his personal stories of cases he has assisted in at the hospital as a resident. Atul Gawande appeals to his reader’s attitude
The most common knee injury in sports is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) through tears or sprains. “They occur in high demand sports that involve planting and cutting, jumping with a poor landing, and stopping immediately or changing directions” (University of Colorado Hospital). The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and found at the front of the patellar bone. Its function involves controlling the back and forth motion of the knee, preventing the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and providing rational stability to the knee. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The occurrence is four to six times greater in female athletes.
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
Ligaments are tough, non-stretchable fibers that hold bones together. Damage to cruciate ligaments, which crisscross the knee to give it stability, is one of the most common sports injuries. The “tear” occurs from changing direction rapidly, slowing down from running, or landing from a jump improperly. The A.C.L tear is one injury that worries athletes in all sports at all levels because of its devastating effects. People ages 15-25 that participate in basketball and other sports that require pivoting are especially at risk.
The first painting analyzed was North Country Idyll by Arthur Bowen Davis. The focal point was the white naked woman. The white was used to bring her out and focus on the four actual colored males surrounding her. The woman appears to be blowing a kiss. There is use of stumato along with atmospheric perspective. There is excellent use of color for the setting. It is almost a life like painting. This painting has smooth brush strokes. The sailing ship is the focal point because of the bright blue with extravagant large sails. The painting is a dry textured flat paint. The painting is evenly balanced. When I look at this painting, it reminds me of settlers coming to a new world that is be founded by its beauty. It seems as if they swam from the ship.
Imagine pondering into a reconstruction of reality through only the visual sense. Without tasting, smelling, touching, or hearing, it may be hard to find oneself in an alternate universe through a piece of art work, which was the artist’s intended purpose. The eyes serve a much higher purpose than to view an object, the absorptions of electromagnetic waves allows for one to endeavor on a journey and enter a world of no limitation. During the 15th century, specifically the Early Renaissance, Flemish altarpieces swept Europe with their strong attention to details. Works of altarpieces were able to encompass significant details that the audience may typically only pay a cursory glance. The size of altarpieces was its most obvious feat but also its most important. Artists, such as Jan van Eyck, Melchior Broederlam, and Robert Campin, contributed to the vast growth of the Early Renaissance by enhancing visual effects with the use of pious symbols. Jan van Eyck embodied the “rebirth” later labeled as the Renaissance by employing his method of oils at such a level that he was once credited for being the inventor of oil painting. Although van Eyck, Broederlam, and Campin each contributed to the rise of the Early Renaissance, van Eyck’s altarpiece Adoration of the Mystic Lamb epitomized the artworks produced during this time period by vividly incorporating symbols to reconstruct the teachings of Christianity.
Orthopedic surgeons are responsible for mending and operating on the musculoskeletal system. “Orthopedics is a medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with disorders of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and skin” (Career in Orthopaedics). Depending on the damage the patient has sustained determines how the orthopedic surgeon is able to correct the patient’s injury. In many cases there are multiple ways of correcting the patient’s injury such as; using medical, physical, and rehabilitative techniques to using complex surgical methods. “Typically, as much as 50 percent of the orthopedic surgeon’s practice is devoted to no surgical or medical management of injuries or disease and 50 percent to surgical management” (Career in Orthopaedics). The majority of surgeons, including orthopedic surgeons, prefer to choose the least invasive procedures such as; arthroscopy which is a technological advancement allowing orthopedic surgeons to use special cameras in order to diagnose and treat a joint with minimal cutting and trauma to...
In the University Of Arizona Museum Of Art, the Pfeiffer Gallery is displaying many art pieces of oil on canvas paintings. These paintings are mostly portraits of people, both famous and not. They are painted by a variety of artists of European decent and American decent between the mid 1700’s and the early 1900’s. The painting by Elizabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun caught my eye and drew me in to look closely at its composition.
Since the beginning of time, human beings have been in search of ways to advance life as we know it. Every single day, somewhere in the world, technology is being transformed and an exciting new piece is birthed into society. Perhaps, one of the most influential advances is in our ever evolving medical profession. Thus, as technology continues to change the world as we know it, it is sweeping the medical field right along with it. Surgical procedures are being drastically improved with the use of robotic technology called da Vinci.
...y within a medical setting has stepped away from the shadows and into a brighter future with the development of the da Vinci Surgical System in the medical world. Before the surgical robot, doctors or surgeons would have had to make several incisions to their patient’s body, which would cause the patients recovery to be elongated and possibly painful. The da Vinci Surgical System allows surgeons to make smaller, less visible incisions to the patient’s body and have a better precision during the procedure. Throughout several years, surgeons relied on their typical laparoscopic surgery to be able to provide patients with the procedures that required them to make large incisions through the patient’s abdomen. Nowadays, surgeons and their patients can have a sigh of relief because the surgical robot provides surgeons with the precision that they long strived for.
patients' bodies while performing surgery--without assistance from doctors." Futurist Jan. 2011: n. pag. Science in Context. Web. 20 Apr. 2014
Surgery comes from Greek via Latin: meaning "hand work". Surgery is an ancient medical procedure that uses specific techniques on a patient to investigate and treat a small or severe condition such as disease or injury. Surgery can be used for different reasons; some might be to help improve body function or appearance, and some maybe for religious reasons. There are many types of surgeries (e.g. neuro, cardiac, plastic, oral, podiatric etc., etc.). Surgery originally started in France in the 16th century, but was very rarely used. This French surgery was also only preformed for minor uses. Surgery back then was very risky and only a few patients survived. Now you might be thinking, what kind of doctors were those idiots, but think again, does surgery only need a very highly educated surgeon? The simple answer is no. The reason or should I say the greatest reason was that of the tools.
“Back in 2000, there were only 1,000 robotic surgeries world-wide. That number surged to 360,000 in 2011 and 450,000 last year” (Pinkerton). Is robotic surgery going to be the way to go? What is robotic surgery? Is the recovery quicker than a normal procedure? Are there more risks? Is robotic surgery more precise and costly?
Advances in modern medical science in the near future are dependent upon the advances in methods and procedures that, by today’s standards, are considered to be taboo and dangerous. These methods will not only revolutionize the field of medicine, but they will be the forerunners to a whole new way of treating people. For these advances to take place, several key steps need to be taken both medically and politically. In this paper I will attempt to explain what methods and procedures will be the future of modern medicine, how these methods and procedures can benefit mankind, and finally what changes will be needed in the fields of medicine and politics. First, I’ll attempt to explain which methods and procedures will be the future of modern medicine.