LeeHighSchool

TechnologyAdvancementsinOrthopedicSurgery

JessicaCalderon
SeniorCapstonePaper
Mr.Cahoon
18April2016

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JessicaCalderon
SeniorCapstonePaper
Mr.Cahoon
18April2016
TechnologyAdvancementsinOrthopedicSurgery
Technologyhasadvancedrapidlythesepastfewyears,especiallyinthemedicalfield.As
wespeaktherearemoreideasandmoreimprovementsbeingmade.Themedicalfieldisawide,
broadfield.Therearelotsofdifferentthingsthatpeopledontevenknowexist.AnOrthopedic
SurgeonisaSurgeonwhooperatesdifferentconditionsofthemusculoskeletalsystemsuchas
variousformsofarthritis,osteomalacia,carpeltunnelsyndrome,anddisordersoftheneck,back,
hipsandknees.TherearehundredsofdifferentconditionsthatanOrthopedicsurgeontreatsthat
includeproceduressuchas,arthroscopicsurgery,jointreplacement,andopenreductionand
internalfixationsoffractures.

Theseproceduresallowsurgeonstoaccuratelyperformsurgeries
andhavebeensomeofthenumerous.
OrthopedicSurgerytechnologyprocedural
advancementshavehelpedmakerecoverytimequicker,lessenmorbidityrate,andallow
lessdirectvisualcontrol.
Arthroscopicsurgeryisaminimallyinvasivesurgerythatsurgeonsusetosee,diagnose,
andtreatproblemsinsideajoint(Wilkerson,1).Backthen,surgeonshadtomakelargeincisions
inordertobeabletoexposetheareaneededandoperatethereforemakingrecoverytimelonger.
Now,therearethesmallincisionsbeingdone.Intheprocedure,theOrthopedicSurgeoninserts
smalllikepencilinstrumentsthathaveacameratobeabletolookintotheinteriorofajoint
(Wilkerson,1).Thelensthatisonthecameraallowsthesurgeontoviewtheinteriorofthejoint

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onatvscreen(Wilkerson,1).Ontherethesurgeoncanseethecartilageandligaments.Without
theneedofalargeincision,thesurgeoncanseeallthenecessaryinformationneededtomakea
diagnosesothatthepatientcanbetreatedcorrectly.Usually,beforethearthroscopicsurgerywas
created,patientshadtowaituntilsymptomswerehighlyseeableandmorbiditywasvery
common.Withthissurgery,morbidityratewaslowersensediagnosingwasfaster,and
operationsweremorelikelytobesuccessfulaswell.Recoverytimewasalsoshortersincethere
werentlargeincisionsbeingdonetothepatient.Patientswerebackhomeseveralhoursafter
surgeryandsome,usuallywentbacktoworkorschoolinafewdays.Fullrecoverytakesafew
weeks.Thishelpedfindadiagnoseforeachpatientbasedontheirindividualbonestructureand
composition.
Jointreplacementisanotheradvancementinorthopedicsurgery.Duringsurgery,the
patientisputtosleepwhilethesurgeonputsinaprosthesis,whichisanartificialbodypartof
somesort(Escalante,1).Thesurgerycanlasttwohoursorless.Italldependsonhowcriticalthe
conditionis.Beforethis,therewereothersurgeriessuchas:arthrodesis,theestablishmentof
pseudarthrosis,andanalgesicmedicationstohelpwiththepain.Theseprocedureswere
temporarypainrelieving,andnonlonglasting.Untilthejointarthroplastycamealong,itwasa
longlastingreliefandthepatientshadafunctionalimprovement.Thistypeofsurgeryhas
expandedtobeoneofthelargestandmostsuccessfulareasoforthopedicsurgeryintodays
world(Jackson,4).Therecoveryforthisisafewmonthsbecauseoftheneedforrehabilitation
andphysicaltherapyandalsobecauseoftheincisionsbeingdone.Itisknowntobesuccessful,
dependingonhowwellthepatientfollowsdirectionsaftersurgery.

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Openreductionandinternalfixationoffracturesisasurgeryusedtofixbrokenbones
(Bodine,1).Itisdonebecauseofthefactthatsplintingorcastsarentabletorepairthefracture.
Alsobecauseofthefactthefractureisreallybad.Thisprocedureisatwopartprocedurein
whichforthefirstpart,thebrokenboneisreduced/putbackinplace.Forthesecondpart,an
internalfixationdeviceisplacedontheboneandisdonewithscrews,plates,rods,orpinsand
theyhelpwithkeepingtheinternaldeviceinplace.Theaveragehospitalstayforthisprocedure
is17days(Bodine,1).Recoverywillbeacoupleofmonthsbecauserehabilitationandphysical
therapywillbeneededtoregainmovementandtostrengthenthemuscles.
Astheworldevolves,technologyevolvesfasterandtherearemoretechnologyoperated
thingscreated/improved.Advancementsinthemedicalfieldareseenalot.Therearetonsof
trialsthataredonetoseeifthenewadvancementwillworkornot.Therearewaymore
proceduresthathavemadeanimpactinthemedicalworld.Theseproceduresallowsurgeonsto
preoperativelyplanhighlyaccurateproceduresforeachoftheirpatientsbasedonindividual
bonestructureandcomposition
("NewTechnologies1)
Theyhavehelpedsurgeonsofmany
kindstomakefewerincisionsonthepatientsandfewerhandsonforthesurgeons.Asstated
earlier,someoftheproceduresarearthroscopicsurgery,jointreplacement,andopenreduction
andinternalfixationoffractures.Allowingpatientstohaveashorterrecoverytimeandless
directvisualcontrol.Innovativecomputerbasedtechnologieswillfurtherimprovesurgeries
thathavebeenoptimizedusingmanualtools(Pearle,1).Thisallowsthepatientstorecover
fasterandthereisalsolessmoneyoutoftheirpocketbecausetheprocedures/surgeriescanbe
doneinanoutpatientcenterandhospitalstay,forsome,isntnecessary.

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