DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan's use of computer-assisted robotics in pediatric surgery sounds like a lot of science fiction - but in fact it is a new reality in today's operating rooms. And our pioneering use of this incredible evolving technology has researchers and surgeons from all over the world visiting us to learn and refine their skills in CARES.
In January 2002, the Children's Hospital of Michigan surgeons performed the first successful computer-assisted robot-enhanced surgery at a children's hospital in the United States. For kids, this means less pain, quicker recuperation and smaller incisions after a surgery. The Otolaryngology Department was a part of the development of the technology and is continuing to explore new uses for minimally-invasive pediatric surgery.
The system, called Zeus, equips a surgeon with a headset, visual screen and hand controls. Zeus then monitors the surgeon's hand movements, filtering out any hand tremor, allowing precise surgical incisions. That's important when operating on children because their bodies are smaller, and greater precision is generally required when performing many types of pediatric surgery, including those on the delicate structures of the ear, nose, throat and other areas of the head and neck.
The Children's Hospital of Michigan developed this program with our partners ComputerMotion in Santa Barbara, California, and the College of Engineering at Wayne State University.
Special thanks to the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation, whose generous support and financial contributions have made the CARES program possible.
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