Systems technology in the operating theatre: a prerequisite for the use ofadvanced devices in surgery

The development of endoscopic techniques has significantly changed surgery. The increasing complexity of devices being used has increased the demand f or improved ergonomics and functionality. Since the early 1990s the develop ment of system solutions for the operating room (OR) has been a topic of ma jor interest for surgeons and industry. The first integrated surgical workp lace system was introduced by Dornier (Orest) in 1994. Several other soluti ons are now commercially available. Their common feature is the ability to control the different functions of the individual devices (e.g. high-freque ncy waves, camera, or insufflation) via remote control systems directly fro m the operating table. Other developments in OR systems include ergonomic a ids for the surgeon, such as a chair dedicated to the functional needs of e ndoscopic surgery. The chair is powered by electric motors controlled by a foot-pedal joystick and its position can be altered to achieve the desired position in the OR. Also significant in endoscopic surgery was the introduc tion of robotic technology namely devices that assist solo-surgery and mani pulators for microsurgical instrumentation.