Diatek’s Hopes on Anesthetist’s Tool : Some Hail Computer Recorder as Breakthrough; Others Are Cautious

San Diego-based Diatek hopes its new touch- and voice-sensitive computer, which records anesthesia data during surgery, will vault the company into the ranks of medical equipment pioneers--as well as play a role in reducing malpractice suits.

At least one East Coast hospital has been convinced of the value of Diatek’s Arkive Patient Management System.

“I don’t mean to sound melodramatic, but it’s been revolutionary in its approach to anesthesiology,” said Dr. David Edsall, an anesthesiologist at Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg, Mass.

Analysts Sound Words of Caution

Burbank, which has bought eight of the machines, is the only hospital in the nation where the Arkive is the exclusive recording tool of anesthesiologists. The machine, which was introduced in October, 1987, is also used by UC San Diego Medical Center, and Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla will get its first machine in two weeks.

Still, analysts in the medical equipment industry warned against prematurely trumpeting the machine’s success.

“It’s really hard to say how well it will do,” said Jim McCamant, editor of the Medical Technology Stock Letter in Berkeley. “Touch screens have been used before on other machines, and I don’t think they have been particularly successful.”

The Arkive “is obviously new equipment, but I’m skeptical because it’s expensive,” McCamant said. “I’m just wondering if they can sell it.”

The base price for the Arkive is $15,000, and the voice sensor is another $5,000.

Anesthesiologists have been using recording devices since the mid-1970s, but those machines were fairly simple. Diatek executives said the older Arkive prototypes do not have the voice and touch sensors.

With the new Arkive, anesthesiologists can feed data into the computer either by punching it in or speaking through a headset that records the information on a disk.

Hours of Work Saved

A display screen projects a computer-generated replica of the standard paper record normally used by anesthesiologists to log the legally required patient information, saving hours of work by hand.

Data entered into the Arkive is stored on floppy disk.

“Usually, anesthesiologists have to try to balance time between recording the information on patients in surgery and giving the anesthesia,” said Diatek spokesman Daniel Pettus. “And sometimes they have to wait until after the operation. By then, they may have forgotten some of the things that went on in the operating room. With this, they can punch it in and then print it out later.”

And, because the screen is identical to the standard paper form, even computer-illiterate anesthesiologists find it relatively easy to use the Arkive.

“They just ‘touch’ information into the spaces they usual write in,” Pettus said. “They won’t feel like they are working with a computer.”

The machine interfaces with up to 25 other monitors, automatically logging a patient’s vital signs, doctors said.

Helps Anesthesiologists Concentrate

And, while it helps anesthesiologists concentrate during surgery, the Arkive may also help them rest easier if problems during an operation lead to a lawsuit.

“I guess someone could record false information on other matters, but they could do that manually, too,” Edsall said. “The vital signs are what most courts look at. That is more relevant than anything else.”

Diatek is now revising software for the Arkive that may include a speaking alarm. If such an addition is marketed, the machine will provide a quieter alternative to the electronic alarms that now resonate throughout most operating rooms.

“Now there are alarms to alert doctors if something is wrong with the patient,” said Edsall. “But they are so noisy that some anesthetists cut them off, which could be dangerous. Soon, (the Arkive) will be the only alarm, and, instead of whistling, it’ll speak to you when something is wrong.”

Diatek, which was founded in 1973, began developing the Arkive in 1982.

The company first found success with its digital thermometers and now is developing a brain-wave scanner. The thermometers account for more than half of Diatek’s $17 million in annual sales, but company executives said market projections indicate that the Arkive may soon become its best-selling product.

Sufficient Market Seen

“I haven’t heard of anything else like it on the market,” said analyst McCamant, who said there is enough of a market to make the Arkive profitable.

However, he predicted that many doctors will be reluctant to make the change to the new machine.

Still, doctors at Scripps Memorial said they welcome the Arkive installation.

“Right now, we’re doing manual charting,” said Dr. Glenn Plummer, an anesthesiologist. “We’ve been very fortunate that we haven’t had any problems because of that. This system will make it easier to record and will free anesthetists to work more closely with the patient.”

Company spokesman Pettus said that freeing anesthesiologists from the time-consuming rigors of manual documentation remained a problem even after the first recorder was developed.

“Helping anesthesiologists balance their time between patients and recording has been a big problem since hospitals began adding more parameters for measuring a patient’s condition,” he said. “Other versions of this machine were developed, but none really helped the problem.” The voice and touch sensors are what make this one better, Pettus emphasized.

The Talk of the Convention

Pettus said that, when Diatek introduced the Arkive to the medical world at an anesthesiologists convention last year, “it was the hit of the show. They couldn’t stop trying it.”

But, despite the enthusiasm that marked its debut, the Arkive created apprehension among some litigation-wary anesthesiologists.

“Many doctors are scared of it because they think, ‘This is going to automatically record everything I do,’ ” Edsall said. “They figure it will show matters which we consider meaningless, but which a lawyer will jump on.”

Edsall said he believes such fears are unnecessary.

“It only provides accurate readouts,” he said. “If they are doing what they should, there shouldn’t be any cause for worry. It is objective. Still, I can see it being very useful in malpractice suits.”

Pettus said the machine could prove just as useful in deterring lawsuits.

“It can be a useful tool because it’s very accurate,” he said. “But litigation can happen no matter what--whether you have a manual record or an automated record.”