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F R O M
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T H E
S H O W
F L O O R
Articulating HD 3D Laparoscopic
Surgical Video System from Olympus
Olympus is marketing its new laparoscope as an economical alternative
to surgical robotics. Just because a facility can't budget the $1.5 million
to $2.2 million (plus use and maintenance expenses) for a robot doesn't
mean it has to forgo the benefits that depth perception brings to lap surgery. The 10mm scope incorporates twin visual channels to produce
binocular vision, twin light sources to fully illuminate the site, and a
"chip on the tip" to deliver a high-quality image. Polarized glasses let
you see the 3D effect on a high-definition display. It also has a bendable
tip. Dials at your fingertips enable angulation of up to 100 degrees in 4
directions, so you can look behind things while the scope remains stationary.
It's easy to overlook, but the single cable that carries both the power
and light cords from the back of the hand controls, in line with the
device (instead of the power cord coming out the back and the light
cord perpendicular or at an angle), is inspired design. When you're performing single-incision lap surgery, an instrument with a cord sticking
out the side can interfere with other instruments. A cord out the back
end makes for a flatter instrument and a less crowded port. The articulating, 3D, HD scope hadn't been priced at the time of the conference,
but Olympus reps estimated the costs of the entire video platform at
$150,000, which included the 2 video towers necessary for 3D images
and the camera control unit to combine their signals.
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New Abilities for Intuitive Surgical's
da Vinci Robot
If, on the other hand, your facility has invested in a da Vinci Surgical
Robot, you'll surely be interested to learn that Intuitive Surgical has
introduced attachments that expand its ability: a stapler, a vessel sealer
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J U N E 2013
