System Safety in Healthcare: Risk Prevention in Laparoscopic Surgeries

Dev Raheja

doi:10.56094/jss.v56i1.26

Authors

Dev Raheja

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56094/jss.v56i1.26

Keywords:

laparoscopic, surgery, risk, PHM

Abstract

Laparoscopic robotic surgeries allow surgeons to make much smaller incisions than those used in traditional surgeries. When surgeons insert special instruments through small cuts in a patient’s body, they can use a video monitor and laparoscope (a tiny video camera) to view what’s happening inside the body and perform the operation. Using these instruments, the surgeon doesn’t have to manually reach into the patient, leading to a minimally invasive experience. Surgeons can make several small cuts instead of one large cut, each typically no more than a half-inch long.

Yet laparoscopic surgeries are not without risk. Even highly used surgical robots, such as the da Vinci robot, have had their share of issues. Complications can occur due to the patient’s condition and the type of surgery being performed.

Author Biography

Dev Raheja

Mr. Dev Raheja has been a System Safety and System Reliability Engineering consultant for over 25 years. His range of consulting encompasses transportation systems, electric power systems, high tech industry, aerospace, defense systems, medical systems, and consumer products. He has conducted training in several countries including Sweden, Australia, Japan, UK, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa, and Canada. He has done training and consulting work with NASA, U.S. Army, GM, Boeing, Eaton, Nissan Aerospace, Litton, General Dynamics, ITT, BAE Systems, Lockheed-Martin, Harley-Davidson, and United Technologies.

Prior to consulting, Mr. Raheja worked at General Electric, Cooper Industries, and at Booz-Allen & Hamilton. He is the author of several books including Assurance Technologies Principles and Practices (Second Edition, Wiley 2006), and Design for Reliability (Wiley, 2012). A Fellow of the System Safety Society, he has a received Scientific Achievement Award and the Educator-of the-Year Award from the society.

Mr. Raheja serves on the Patient and Families Advisory Council at Johns Hopkins Hospital as a patient safety advocate. He is Associate Editor for Healthcare Safety for The Journal of System Safety and an Associate Professor at University of Maryland where he teaches the “Design For Reliability” course which includes design for safety and trustworthiness.

References

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