First there was McSleepyTM. Now it’s time to introduce the first intubation robot operated by remote control. This robotic system named The Kepler IntubationSystem (KIS), and developed by Dr. Thomas M. Hemmerling, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) specialist and McGill University Professor of Anesthesia and his team, may facilitate the intubation procedure and reduce some complications associated with airway management. The world’s first robotic intubation in a patient was performed at the Montreal General Hospital by Dr. Hemmerling. The KIS allows us to operate a robotically mounted video-laryngoscope using a joystick from a remote workstation.
After successfully performing extensive tests in the airways of medical simulation mannequins, which closely resemble intubation conditions in humans, clinical testing in patients has now begun. One day, it might actually be the standard practice of airway management,” concludes Dr. Hemmerling, whose laboratory developed the world’s first anesthesia robot, nicknamed McSleepyTM, in 2008, which provides automated anesthesia delivery.
Photo Credits : Dr. Hemmerling ‘s Research Laboratory.
http://muhc.ca/newsroom/news/introducing-world’s-first-intubation-robot
