Remote brain surgery has many advantages, but it requires expertise and advanced technology. 5G networks can help reduce latency. There are also certain costs that remote brain surgery can incur. This article explores the advantages of this procedure, including the cost and expertise required. After reading it, you’ll be better prepared to decide whether you want to use this technology.
5G networks reduce latency
The 5G network has lowered the latency in remote brain surgery, making it possible to perform the procedure from far away. Currently, wireless networks have a lag time of one to two seconds, which can be dangerous for patients. But with the 5G network, the lag time has been reduced to two milliseconds. This could help surgeons perform remote brain surgery while saving time and effort for patients.
With 5G networks, surgeons can use medical robots and other tools while afar, just as if they were in the same room. For example, a Chinese doctor in Sanya, China, could perform a remote brain surgery on a patient in Beijing via 5G. The surgeon could guide the paramedic’s hand through the patient’s brain, even if he was hundreds of kilometers away. This could significantly improve the patient’s quality of life.
Expertise required for remote brain surgery
Experts in Beijing have successfully performed the first remote brain surgery. On November 4, a patient from Zhangjiakou First Hospital in China underwent deep brain stimulation using the Remebot medical robot. From the 5G remote command center in Beijing, the doctors controlled the operation while monitoring the patient’s vital signs. The remote brain surgery was a breakthrough in neurosurgical technology and could enable better access to the world’s best doctors for patients.
The study’s results suggest that remote brain surgery requires considerable expertise. Expert surgeons, unlike novices, were able to identify high-error- probability situations and slow down to ensure proper completion of the procedure. They also showed a greater ability to recognize error-prone parts of procedures and ignore secondary stimuli. However, the neural correlates of surgical expertise aren’t yet well understood. However, some areas of the brain have been implicated, including the anterior cingulate cortex and pre-SMA.
Benefits of remote surgery
Telesurgery is a promising development in medical care. It is a great option for a variety of surgeries and can minimize the number of staff members in operation theaters. However, there are some challenges to the technology. One of the biggest is latency, which is the time between the surgeon’s input and the response from the patient. This issue is mainly caused by congestion and network routing problems.
Moreover, it can delay the recovery of patients.
A remote robotic arm can reduce the risk of brain damage and enable more precise surgeries. It can also be used for endovascular intervention, which is a treatment for strokes caused by blood clots. This procedure involves guiding a thin wire to a clot. It can either physically remove the blockage or deliver drugs to break up the clot. It is especially important in remote areas, where neurovascular surgeons are difficult to reach.
Cost
The cost of remote brain surgery depends on a number of factors. Direct costs include procedure-related expenses, such as anesthesia, physician’s fees, and Medicare reimbursements. Indirect costs, on the other hand, include costs associated with complications, extended LOS, and readmission. These factors also contribute to the overall cost of the procedure. A cost-effectiveness study for SLA compared to craniotomy based on assumptions about procedural safety and lowered indirect costs was conducted.
A multi-institutional registry evaluating clinical outcomes in patients who underwent SLA for brain tumors found that 84.8% of patients were discharged within 30 days. In contrast, only one patient died within 30 days. While the study used historical data, one may assume that LOS associated with craniotomy is lower because uncomplicated craniotomy patients are discharged home on post-operative day 1 or
2. Moreover, the selection criteria for craniotomy may differ from those for SLA.
Side effects
One patient with Parkinson’s disease recently underwent the country’s first 5G-based remote brain surgery. Since then, similar operations have been performed throughout the country. The procedure was performed by the first medical center at the PLA General Hospital with the help of China Mobile. The surgeon implanted a deep brain stimulation device into the patient’s brain to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Remote brain surgery is not without its risks. Patients undergoing brain surgery are often preoccupied with the potential for paralysis or death. While worrying about the neuropsychological consequences of remote brain surgery may seem insensitive, some articulate patients have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of detailed information about these risks.
