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May 27, 1999

UPMC hospitals use new system for operating room

UPMC hospitals use new system for operating room

The future of the standard operating room is here, as surgeons at the UPMC Health System have begun integrating the Hermes Control System into their regular routine.

Hermes, a system that operates on voice and hand-held touch screen commands, expands the use of voice control technology in the operating room.

James Luketich and Philip Schauer, co-directors of the Mark Ravitch/Leon C. Hirsch Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, are using the system when performing advanced laparoscopic and thoracoscopic procedures for conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease and esophageal cancer.

"The Hermes System also allows nurses to concentrate more of their efforts on the patient, because this system can take on some of the repetitive tasks nurses commonly perform," said Luketich, who also is assistant professor of surgery, section head of thoracic surgery and co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute's Lung Cancer Center.

The system accommodates several medical devices used in the operating room, including a camera, to take pictures during a procedure; a printer, which prints the pictures in less than a minute; and a VCR, which can record a procedure. Additionally, operating room staff members can input commands through use of a touch-screen pendant.

"Hermes allows surgeons and operating staff members more direct control over the operating room environment, which results in more efficient and higher quality surgery," said Schauer, who also serves as assistant professor of surgery and director of endoscopic surgery.

UPMC Health System currently uses six Hermes systems — two at UPMC Shadyside and four at UPMC Presbyterian.


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