Getting to the heart of the problem without knives: the i-Snake

A new medical device called the i-Snake is set to revolutionize surgical practice. While it won’t play your favorite mp3s, the i-Snake has numerous befits to both medical procedures and personal preferences. Well, it’s less scary looking than a scalpel for one thing. But what is the i-Snake and what does it do? Details in the full article.

A new medical device called the i-Snake is set to revolutionize surgical practice. While it won’t play your favorite mp3s, the i-Snake has numerous befits to surgical techniques.

The i-Snake is basically a tube – a very long tube equipped with special motors, sensors and imaging tools. The device was made to be utilized in heart bypass surgery.

The device acts as the doctor’s eyes and hands inside the patient’s body. Since it only needs a small incision to do its work, recovery time for the patient is shortened. Plus there’s less area that will scar.

Another advantage of the i-Snake is that it’s less invasive for patients. Scientists are now looking into ways to avoid cutting skin to do the surgery altogether. They suggest entering the body through natural cavities (use your imagination… then again, don’t).

The device was made by a team at Imperial College London, who were given a grant of GBP 2.1 million (US$ 4.18 million) for it. Perhaps this is the start of era where knives will be used less and less in the operating table. Now if only they can do the same for dentist’s drills.

Via BBC