Say hello to the hunk of plastic that could replace your anesthesiologist. Right now, only four U.S. hospitals are using the Sedasys anesthesiology machine to sedate patients before surgery. Johnson & Johnson has been cautiously rolling out the machine after winning approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2013. The FDA originally rejected the machine in 2010, but later approved after Johnson & Johnson agreed it would only be used for simple screenings--like colonoscopies or endoscopies--and only when an anesthesiology doctor or nurse was on-call.
The machine administers a measured dose of propofol to the patient, and the drug acts quickly. To keep patients safe, the machine is programmed with conservative parameters. Even the slightest problem--for example, if the patient has low blood oxygen or a slow heart rate--slows or stops the drug's infusion. According to the Washington Post, the machine has stricter limits than a human anesthesiologist would have.
http://www.popsci.com/meet-machine-could-replace-anesthesiologists
(Score: 2) by snick on Wednesday May 13 2015, @11:17PM
The one time I was in the room during a surgery, the anesthesiologist was the hardest working person in the room. All the surgeon has to do is perform the surgery. The anesthesiologist's job is to keep the patient alive.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday May 13 2015, @11:26PM
Was the anesthesiologist following a lot of protocols at once using the available data and administering drugs in precise amounts?
Sounds like the anesthesiologist can be replaced by a machine.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by snick on Wednesday May 13 2015, @11:54PM
Nope. He was watching and listening to the patient and the surgeon, constantly adjusting based on what was happening with them, while following a lot of protocols at once using the available data and administering drugs in precise amounts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 14 2015, @01:08AM
And they get paid tons, and yet they have to play second fiddle in OR. No wonder so many become alcoholics.