Savannah Coulsen

New technology has the potential to make surgical procedures more efficient and effective, reduce errors, and improve patient care and outcomes. It'll take some time before we know which innovations will be adopted as standard practice, but here are a few new items that 2014 brought.

This new stapler, by Ethicon, has a gripping surface that eliminates slippage when stapling tissue that has different dimensions of thickness. The stapling procedure time is reduced because gynecologists don’t have to stop and reload the stapler. The stapler gives consistently good firing results due to the improved grasping technology.

The Extracorporeal C-Incision Tissue Extraction

The Extracorporeal C-Incision Tissue Extraction (ExCITE) technique provides a new alternative for extracting contained tissue when performing gynecological surgery. Myomectomy and hysterectomy are prime examples of procedures that can use ExCITE to extract tissue without using power morcellation. This extraction device uses the Anchor Medical containment bag and the Applied Medical self-retaining retractor. This device standardizes the approach to safe tissue extraction, but whether it will catch on is yet to be determined.

, called "Victoria," is a life-sized doll that can go into "labor" and "give birth." It has an 8-hour rechargeable battery, which helps students and trainees stay engaged and in-the-moment during extended labor scenarios. Physicians can experiment with various birthing experiments, which can help reduce errors and improve patient care.

, currently being studied and not ready for use, has the potential to protect women from HIV transmission when inserted into the vagina at least 6 minutes before sexual intercourse. The tampon is made of water-soluble nano fibers that contain an antiretroviral agent that coat and protect the vagina when the dissolved. Intercourse further distributes the dosage throughout the vagina. The tampon administration is also being considered for contraceptive use. Although this product may not hit the market for another 10 years, it is given serious consideration because it far exceeds the messiness of gels and the long-dissolve time of the films.

http://health.usnews.com/doctors/gilbert-webb-373659

Articles

From surgical staplers to birthing simulator updates, 2014 brought many new innovations for obstetrics and gynecology.

Savannah Coulsen

Articles

What New Technology Did 2014 Bring OB/GYNs?