Doctor’s Orders

Dr. Jerome Friedland is accustomed to using his hands and a foot pedal to manipulate equipment during surgery.

Now, the orthopedic surgeon at Northridge Hospital Medical Center is learning to use his voice to activate a new computer program while performing minimally invasive knee, elbow and shoulder operations.

Friedland used the breakthrough technology Thursday while performing knee surgery on Jayne Wyrick, 38, of Sylmar. The stay-at-home mom was carrying a load of laundry down a flight of stairs when she missed a step, wrenching her right knee.

The computer program, dubbed Hermes--the messenger of the Greek gods--operates surgical lasers, cutting tools, scopes, cameras, digital recorders, printers and VCRs all at the sound of a surgeon’s voice.

The new technology was developed by Stryker Endoscopy of Santa Clara and Computer Motion of Santa Barbara, said Michael Feinberg, a Stryker sales representative.

The $40,000 system went on the market in February and has been purchased by several hospitals across the country, Feinberg said, including Northridge.

Feinberg said the computer system gives surgeons greater control during operations. In the past, a physician would have to make manual adjustments to equipment or ask a surgical nurse to do so.

“Increasing surgeon control may augment the quality of patient care and improve the surgical team’s productivity,” Feinberg said. “Minimally invasive surgeries can be performed quickly with nurses doing what they were trained to do--take care of patients.”

Feinberg said four medical equipment manufacturers have signed on with Stryker Endoscopy and Computer Motion to make their products responsive to voice commands.

In the future, operating tables, lighting and other surgical equipment will be repositioned simply by the sound of a surgeon’s voice, Feinberg said.

The new technology is yet another evolution in the equipment he has used since he began his career as an orthopedic surgeon in the early 1970s, Friedland said.

“In the past, a patient would have a 6-inch incision and would have to stay in the hospital for a week,” he said. “Now, we are making a tiny incision and [patients] are going home the same day.”

Eventually, he said, “there will be even more voice-recognition technology used in surgery just as it is in homes and the security industry. It’s great having it.”

On Thursday, Friedland prepared for surgery as usual. The only difference was that he wore a headset connected by a cord to the Hermes machine, which is loaded with a program of the doctor’s voice commands.

Feinberg said the prerecorded voice print ensures that the system only responds to Friedland’s voice and no one else’s in the operating room.

“Hermes. Shaver. Forward. Activate,” Friedland commanded.

The shaver tool began to whir and the surgeon carefully removed damaged cartilage surrounding Wyrick’s right knee.

“Hermes. Image. Capture,” Friedland ordered.

The computer froze an image of the kneecap and stored it on a computer disk.

“Hermes. Laser. Activate,” Friedland said.

The infrared laser tool glowed and the doctor vaporized more deteriorated cartilage.

“In the past, he would be turning the tools on and off or changing the settings by himself or asking a nurse to do it for him,” Feinberg said as he watched Friedland work. “Now he can do it himself.”