Development of a range of microsurgical instruments and methods of their application has recently enabled fundamental development of methods of intra-ocular surgery. The main trend involves a mini-invasive approach which, along with other new technologies, enables, among other things, the dedicated resolution of disorders of the posterior eye segment; in particular, the retina. A successful outcome of some vitrectomy surgeries depends essentially on postoperative progress and adherence to the necessary principles of recovery. For several days, an immobile position as possible of the eye has to be ensured. The very positioning of the eye is not resolvable. By using postoperative swelling of eye muscles, which guarantees immobility of the eye against the head, the required result can be achieved by stabilizing the patient’s head position. However, achieving satisfactory results only based on the patient’s will is very difficult. The correct position of the patient’s head should be provided by immobilizing it. The currently used methods of fastening to some seats or beds are rather uncomfortable for the patient.

Doc. Ing. Jiří Rozman, CSc., Ing. Petr Čech, Ing. Martin Čížek, Ph.D., and Ing. Jiří Dlouhý, all of the Department of Biomedical Engineering along with MUDr. Igor Vícha, Ph.D., developed and constructed a device which enables an absolutely new approach to the treatment of post-surgery phases. It monitors the patient’s head at each moment and, in the case of an incorrect position against the pre-adjusted optimum position, warns the patient through an acoustic signal. It also saves information on the head position at regular intervals in an independent memory, which can be telemetrically communicated with. This monitoring method during the evaluation of treatment enables objective separation of any complications caused by the incorrect positioning of the head from complications caused by other clinical factors. The projected system has a fundamental significance both for the clinical practice and the patient’s comfort in the postoperative period.

.

Figure 1: Communication unit

In cooperation with the Technology Transfer Office of BUT, both the functional sample – a prototype of the “System of monitoring of the patient’s head” (see details here) and the whole set with a monitoring unit, superior computer, software including the means of mutual communication (see details here) have been registered as utility models. The prototype of the design was tested at the Clinic of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital Brno. The set is appropriate for all clinical applications in which the patient’s head needs long-term monitoring; in addition to ophthalmology also e.g. traumatology or neurology.

Source of the pictures: archives of the Utility model authors