SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIES

THEME LEAD
Mr Iain Hennessey

LOCATION
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

PAEDIATRIC SURGERY

Operating on children is one of the most demanding disciplines in surgery. The huge variations in anatomy, size, and physiology combine to create an obvious field for technological optimisation and innovation.

Unfortunately, the perceived small market size of children’s healthcare has often limited progress, requiring surgeons to adapt technology and equipment from the adult sphere. The aim of the paediatric surgical technology theme is to reverse this trend and to place paediatric surgery at the forefront of technological advancement.

SUPER SURGEON PROGRAMME

Over the last few thousand years, human biology has not really changed. The basic building block of a surgeon is a constant feature, but it has been augmented by the things we have discovered through innovation and research. The core principle of research, innovation, and education should therefore be the creation of super doctors.

The super surgeon programme is looking for innovative ideas for paediatric surgery and to identify unmet needs. They could be from high end intense surgical procedures to day to day minor procedures that happen in the community or in the home.

SUPER SURGEON PROGRAMME

THEME FOCUS

The Surgical Technologies theme has the following focus:

  • Develop and integrate virtual reality into pre-operative planning, familiarising patients with surgical environments and simulating clinical scenarios.
  • Improve and utilise 3D printed models to inform pre-operative planning.
  • Develop a pre-operative chatbot that deploys a natural language interface to enable patients to access tailored information.
  • Develop a fully integrated theatre environment, including live video feeds and advanced imaging analytics.

THEME LEAD

MR IAIN HENNESSEY

Iain is a Consultant Neonatal and Paediatric Surgeon at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Iain is currently developing a long-term strategy to build the world’s first ‘Living Hospital’ by adapting emerging technologies to enable the building to care for the children and young people within it, both medically and holistically. This work has encompassed artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, virtual reality, and other consumer entertainment technologies.