General Objectives

The general objective of the workshop is to define the integrated systems and general character of the operating room of the future, with the year 2020 as a target timeframe. The focus will be on how advanced technology including intraoperative imaging, robotics, and biomedical modeling can be integrated into the next generation operating room and interventional suite. Specific clinical applications from multiple specialties will be presented as case studies to which this technology might be applied. A special emphasis will be made to address the question of integration and standards development. Research needs will be identified and prioritized.

Plan of Attack

The general objective of the workshop will be attained through the following four steps. Work has already started on these as part of the planning process.

Step One.  Define the current status and clinical needs in the operating room and interventional suite.

    Multiple surgical specialties (general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic, orthopaedics, gynecology, pathology, anesthesiology, etc.) will be queried to define the current state of the art and future needs. These scenarios will be compiled before the workshop and refined during the workshop.

Step Two.  Establish the requirements for the next generation operating room for selected procedures.

            From the list of procedures developed in step one, a set of technical requirements for the future operating room will be established. Requirements such as the type of imaging desired, image resolution, mode of display, etc., will be established. The value of technologies such as robotics, telecollaboration, and surgical simulation will be assessed. The issues of system integration and standards will be discussed.

Step Three.  Establish priority areas for research and development

            Based on the technical requirements established in step 2, the state-of-the-art of the technology will be examined to determine where further research and development is needed. These research areas will be described, tabulated, and prioritized.

Step Four.  Configure the team for the Operating Room of the Future

To create the Operating Room of the Future, a new team of physicians, engineers, and other specialties will be required. Recommendations as to the formulation and composition of this team and its training needs will be made.