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posted by CoolHand on Wednesday May 13 2015, @10:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the machines-replacing-the-very-skilled-laborer dept.

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

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by dltaylor on Wednesday May 13 2015, @11:49PM

    by dltaylor (4693) on Wednesday May 13 2015, @11:49PM (#182710)

    I have known more than a few engineers that went back and got medical degrees because they could babysit machines plugged into patients as well as machines plugged into other machines, and the income upgrade was substantial. 'Course this was 'way back when' and I don't know if it's still that easy and lucrative.

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 14 2015, @02:36AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 14 2015, @02:36AM (#182767)

    For others, it's radiology.