What is the Future of Minimally Invasive Technology?

MedTech Outlook | Monday, March 08, 2021

To accomplish more with less, medical technology in the minimally invasive arena is advancing faster than ever, which will help the entire healthcare system in the long term.

Fremont, CA: The developments in capability employing minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures have been nothing short of amazing since the turn of the century. Minimal incisions, instrument/scope access (trocar or keyhole) ports, and sometimes just small diameter catheter vascular access have enabled what were once extremely invasive procedures to be performed using minimal incisions, instrument/scope access (trocar or keyhole) ports, and sometimes just small diameter catheter vascular access.

Reduced patient pain and discomfort, reduced infection risk, and quicker procedural and recovery periods are all benefits of MIS in healthcare, which usually translates to lower healthcare expenditures. However, the requirement to perform highly skilled actions with specialized tools with limited visibility and ranges of motion has elevated the surgical team's degree of experience, from endoscopic surgeons to robotic procedure specialists to interventional radiologists. Endoscopic cameras, visualization scanners, contrast injectors, nonmagnetic monitoring, specialized devices and catheters, and pricey robotic systems are examples of support equipment. Despite the MIS setup costs, there is no denying the benefit that these advancements in surgical procedures offer to the business, and today's MIS infrastructure can be found in every sector of the healthcare industry.

What is the future of MIS?

Despite the amazing progress in MIS over the previous two decades, these methodologies are still in their infancy, with plenty of space for improvement. Healthcare can expect to see the convergence of many technologies, particularly from the electronic and digital industries, as component performance improves and cost decreases, allowing device manufacturers to deliver smaller, more accurate, and less expensive devices that are simple to operate for an increasing range of procedures. Miniaturized robots, nano-actuators, electronics, and high-definition optics can enable even more remote functionality at the end of a laparoscopic cannula or vascular catheter, just how transcatheter aortic valve replacement has been a disruptive advance.

It's been indicated that tiny, preprogrammed robots could one day be injected into the bloodstream or pulmonary airway, where they would autonomously perform surgery without causing trauma to the patient. Biologically designed viruses such as covid may also be capable of obliterating cancer and other disorders throughout the human body at the cellular level.