AI monitoring, remote surgery advance

Editor's Note

Recent reporting from Fierce Healthcare highlights two notable technology advances that promise to impact surgical patients and caregivers:  an AI-driven blood pressure monitoring system and a remote-controlled endovascular robotics platform.

The first development, from BD, is designed to help clinicians anticipate and manage dangerous blood pressure drops during critical procedures. Detailed in an April 22 article from Fierce Healthcare, the HemoSphere Alta leverages artificial intelligence to predict life-threatening hypotensive events and oxygen desaturation in real time.

As detailed in the article, the system combines a noninvasive oximetry sensor on the patient’s forehead with cardiac output data from an arterial line to generate a cerebral autoregulation index—an indicator of the brain’s ability to sustain stable blood flow despite fluctuations in blood pressure. Because patients’ thresholds for cerebral autoregulation can vary and drop below safe levels, the system’s AI-backed predictions aim to help clinicians personalize therapy to prevent injury or death. The monitor also introduces voice and gesture commands to maintain sterility in the surgical environment, allowing hands-free silencing of alarms.

As for remote-controlled endovascular surgery, pivotal trial results for Microbot Medical’s Liberty system have been a success, the outlet reported April 11. The single-arm clinical trial of 20 patients showcased the disposable robotic platform’s capability to position catheters and guidewires without operators needing to switch to manual manipulation. Physicians using the system saw a dramatic 92% reduction in radiation exposure, averaging 29.8 microsieverts per case. Median navigation time was three minutes. The company anticipates FDA 510(k) clearance by the end of June.