Sterile Touchscreen Control Display for Surgical Hub Screen Mirroring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical systems lack an interactive control unit that can be located within the sterile field of an operating room, enabling communication and information sharing between different surgical hubs while maintaining sterility.
Innovation Solution
An interactive control unit with a touchscreen display, processor, and memory is positioned inside the sterile field, capable of receiving consult requests from a second surgical hub and mirroring its screen to provide necessary information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an interactive control unit is positioned inside the sterile field to enable real-time information access, then surgical efficiency is improved, but the risk of contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
A surgical hub acts as an intermediary device positioned within the sterile field that receives information from non-sterile sources (second surgical hub), processes it, and displays it through a sterile touchscreen interface. This mediator enables information access without requiring non-sterile devices to penetrate the sterile boundary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the second surgical hub's screen content and transmits it to the first surgical hub's display. This copying mechanism allows information from non-sterile environments to be replicated and displayed in the sterile field without physical transfer of non-sterile devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple surgical hubs are interconnected for information sharing, then communication capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical hub is designed with universal communication capabilities that enable it to interface with multiple different surgical hubs and devices through standardized protocols. This multi-functionality allows seamless information exchange without requiring separate specialized systems for each connection type.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical hub serves as a central mediator that manages communications between multiple surgical hubs. It handles data routing, protocol conversion, and information filtering, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture despite the presence of multiple interconnected devices.
3Ease of operation
If a touchscreen display is placed within the sterile field for direct interaction, then ease of operation is improved, but maintaining sterility becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical hub functions as a sterile intermediary that hosts the touchscreen display interface within the sterile field while maintaining its sterile status. Surgeons can interact with the display using sterile gloves or through gesture recognition, eliminating the need to breach sterility for operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates gesture recognition technology that replaces direct physical contact with the touchscreen. This allows surgeons to operate the interface through wireless gesture commands, eliminating mechanical contact and preserving sterility while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
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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.