Integrated operation systems and voice recognition in minimally invasive surgery: comparison of two systems

Surg Endosc (2013) 27:575579 DOI 10.1007/s00464-012-2488-9

Integrated operation systems and voice recognition in minimally invasive surgery: comparison of two systems

Aristotelis Perrakis Werner Hohenberger

Thomas Horbach

Received: 3 March 2012 / Accepted: 27 June 2012 / Published online: 28 August 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012

AbstractBackground Integrated operation systems were developed for centralization and easy control of all components within the operating room (OR). These systems represent central units that use communication technology to connect and control various components of the OR. Voice control that is independent of the speaker has been a pioneering innovation in the central control of different OR components. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of two voice-activated control systems, the Siemens Integrated OR System (SIOS, Siemens Medical Solutions, Siemens AG) and the OR1 (Karl Storz GmbH & Co. KG), for delivery of commands to specic OR equipment. Methods To compare the two systems, actions such as adjusting the operating table, increasing gas pressure, switching on the video recorder, and controlling the endolight source were dened according to a study protocol. These actions were to be executed by test persons through speech and manual control after a suitable training period. The parameters evaluated were training time, time to execute each action, number of repeated commands, and number of functional errors.

Results Seventy-four test persons from ve nations were selected to participate. The numbers of repeated commands and functional errors differed signicantly between systems in all user groups in favor of the SIOS (mean repeated commands for surgeons: SIOS, 2.4; OR1, 14.7, p \ 0.0001).

Conclusion The SIOS voice control was more effective and more reliable than that of the OR1. Importantly, unlike the OR1, the SIOS produced no functional errors. The appropriate conditions for greater acceptance of these systems must be considered, together with additional technical improvements and possible combinations of advantages of the available systems.

Keywords Minimal invasive surgery Voice recognition

Integrated operation systems SIOS OR1

The introduction of minimally invasive surgery represents a breakthrough within the scope of general surgery. Its rapid development has altered routine surgical practice, and videoendoscopic operation technology provides signicant advantages for patients [118]. Within the scope of these revolutionary operation methods, numerous components have been developed to...