Innovating Technology

More than four hundred years after Rembrandt visited an anatomy lesson and created his world-famous painting, we founded the Amsterdam Skills Centre for Health Sciences only a few miles from where the operational theatre of the famous Dr. Nicolaes Tulp once was. History and state of the art technology come together here to create the surgical teams of the future.

Innovating Technology

Training with Force Feedback

Honing your minimally invasive surgical technique before you walk into the OR is key to successful outcomes. Force feedback training boxes provide an objective assessment of the progress of your skills by utilizing force sensors and measuring path lengths of the instruments. The results are stored and compared to benchmarks.

Innovating Technology

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality, creating immersive interactive environments, allows surgical trainees to practice procedures over and over without patient involvement. VR simulators generate detailed performance records providing the trainee valuable feedback.

Innovating Technology

Soft Tissue Embalming

Soft tissue embalming preserves tissue while minimally compromising the colors and elasticity of the tissues rendering them life like. This technique allows teaching of anatomy and surgical procedures up to one year.

Innovating Technology

Robotics

Robotics are the next revolution in surgery after minimally invasive surgery. The number of robotic systems is growing exponentially with manufacturers worldwide. Soft tissue robotics have become the standard in urology and are rapidly being adopted by gynecologists, general surgeons, pulmonary- and ENT surgeons. In orthopedics, robots provide highly accurate replacement of hips and knees with shoulder and spine surgery on their way.

Innovating Technology

Advanced Imaging

Image guidance of interventions provides assistance in real-time enhancing precision, improving outcomes and reducing complications. While fluoroscopy allows planar X-ray imaging, 3D C-arms create three-dimensional reconstructions. Mobile Computed Tomography, rendering cross-sectional images, enables surgical teams to perform precision surgery.

Innovating Technology

Surgical Quality Assessment

Assessing the quality of surgical interventions is an essential component of improving patient safety and clinical outcomes. Structured analysis of unedited recordings of surgical procedures (Competency Assessment Tool) offers valuable feedback to surgical teams. The ASC team is establishing a global academic network employing computer vision algorithms to reduce anatomic misidentification during surgery.

Innovating Technology

Telementoring

Surgery can be a lonesome journey. Telementoring technology can connect a second set of eyes to the OR empowering healthcare providers worldwide to provide the best care to their patients. The applications of this technology range from surgery in underserved regions and critical care delivery in areas of conflict, to supporting implementation of novel technology.