Sterile-Field Touchscreen Control for Surgical Hub Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical systems face challenges in efficiently managing and coordinating the control of surgical devices within a sterile field, particularly in transmitting input commands from an interactive touchscreen display to control devices outside the sterile field while maintaining sterility and ensuring accurate communication and data exchange.
Innovation Solution
An interactive control unit with an interactive touchscreen display, processor, and memory is provided, which receives input commands, transmits them to surgical hubs, and enables consult requests, allowing for the configuration of the display to show information from other hubs, thus facilitating the control of surgical devices within and outside the sterile field.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an interactive touchscreen display is placed inside the sterile field to enable direct control, then ease of operation is improved, but risk of contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
A sterile adapter or barrier interface is introduced between the touchscreen display and the sterile surgical field. This intermediary component allows surgeons to interact with the display through a sterile barrier (such as a sterile drape with capacitive touch capability or a sterile touchscreen cover), enabling direct control while maintaining sterility. The intermediary transfers control signals without compromising the sterile boundary.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple control interfaces are provided - both a touchscreen display accessible within or near the sterile field and duplicate control capabilities outside the sterile field. This allows the surgical team to control devices from either location depending on sterility requirements. The system creates redundant control pathways so that critical functions remain accessible regardless of sterile field constraints.
2Productivity
If multiple surgical devices are coordinated through a centralized hub, then device coordination efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical hub is designed with universal, standardized communication interfaces and protocols that allow multiple different surgical devices to connect and coordinate through a common platform. Rather than requiring custom integration for each device type, the hub provides multi-functional connectivity that simplifies the overall system architecture. This universal interface approach reduces complexity by eliminating the need for multiple specialized connection systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a hierarchical nested architecture where the surgical hub provides high-level coordination and data aggregation, while individual surgical devices maintain their own embedded control systems for device-specific functions. This nested structure allows complex multi-device coordination at the hub level while keeping individual device complexity manageable. Each device operates autonomously within its own control layer but can be orchestrated by the outer hub layer.
3Loss of information
If real-time data exchange between surgical hubs is enabled for consult requests, then information availability is improved, but communication reliability requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes communication channels and protocols between surgical hubs before consult requests are initiated. Data buffering and pre-synchronization mechanisms are implemented so that when a consult request occurs, the communication pathway is already validated and ready. Critical surgical data is pre-formatted and staged for transmission, reducing the reliability burden during actual real-time exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The inter-hub communication system implements comprehensive feedback mechanisms including data transmission acknowledgments, error detection and correction protocols, and automatic retry logic. When data is exchanged between hubs for consult requests, the receiving hub sends confirmation signals back to verify successful reception. If transmission fails or data integrity is compromised, the feedback system triggers automatic retransmission, ensuring reliable information exchange despite communication challenges.
Data Source
AI summary
An interactive control unit is disclosed. The interactive control unit includes an interactive touchscreen display, an interface configured to couple the control unit to a surgical hub, a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to receive input commands from the interactive touchscreen display located inside a sterile field and transmit the input commands to the surgical hub to control devices coupled to the surgical hub located outside the sterile field.