No pain, no sprain for surgeons
A robotic microscope is offering relief to patients and surgeons at Northwick Park Hospital.
The microscope is used in procedures to help restore people’s hearing which traditionally involves surgeons having to crane their necks to see inside the ear.
“Around 85% of ENT surgeons report musculoskeletal tension from using the microscope for prolonged time,” said consultant Bhav Patel who bought the new technology with him.
“It allows us to achieve an ideal view of the surgical field while ensuring that our necks and backs are comfortable throughout. This enables us to do more operations in a day.”
Patients have their operations while awake and are asked to choose their favourite piece of music which is then played by the surgical team during the procedure.
Bhav added: “I never get tired of the look on a patient’s face when their hearing is restored and the first thing they hear is their favourite song.
“We’ve had people laughing, crying or just looking plain surprised.”
Musical requests have included Bon Jovi, 50 cent, Bossa Nova along with audio recordings of religious texts such as the Koran.