The Laser Probe, The iKnife, and The Cutting Edge of Surgery

If the thought of going under the knife fills you with fear, be reassured. No longer is surgery the brutal and hazardous experience faced by our ancestors. Thanks to wonders such as laparoscopy, robotic solutions, and, more recently, the iKnife and the laser probe, surgical intervention is getting safer all the time.

Archaeologists believe that people have been carrying out surgery for up to 11,000 years. Cranial surgery, known as trephination, probably dates back to the Neolithic era. It involved drilling a hole in the skull of a living person.

Speculation suggests it was done to cure disorders such as convulsions, fractures, headaches, and infections. The Ancient Egyptians used the same operation for "letting out" headaches and migraine.

Read more: The Laser Probe, The iKnife, and The Cutting Edge of Surgery

Technological advances make surgery safer and more precise all the time. In robotic surgery, the surgeon
controls the instruments from a console. MRI-guided surgery shows where the tumor is, but the iKnife
can detect its exact borders.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Clinical Chemistry and Integrated Test Systems

Lab consolidation drives technological advances and platform integration

Under the emerging integrated health model, the clinical lab is but one strand in a complex web of healthcare partners. From the emergency department (ED), to physician’s offices, to the specialty clinic, patients are often treated at multiple points of care. Achieving reliable test results across the spectrum of healthcare settings, therefore, is not just desirable, but crucial.

Nevertheless, as testing demand surges, laboratory administrators also face budgetary pressures and staffing shortages. This article examines why and how labs are turning to automated technology to accommodate increases in testing volume. Specifically, advances in clinical chemistry analyzers have enabled labs not just to meet ever-growing workloads, but even to improve turnaround times while achieving consistency in results and minimizing labor requirements.

Read more: Clinical Chemistry and Integrated Test Systems

The SK500 from Sekisui Diagnostics is suited for labs that are challenged for space.

Source: clpmag