Traumatic orthopedic consultations in COVID-19 inpatients - A cross sectional analysis of results and a review of lessons in tele-orthopedics

Sensor technology usage in orthopedic trauma

Medicine in general is quickly transitioning to a digital presence. Orthopaedic surgery is also being impacted by the tenets of digital health but there are also direct efforts with trauma surgery. Sensors are the pen and paper of the next wave of data acquisition. Orthopaedic trauma can and will be part of this new wave of medicine. Early sensor products that are now coming to market, or are in early development, will directly change the way we think about surgical diagnosis and outcomes. Sensor development for biometrics is already here. Wellness devices, pressure, temperature, and other parameters are already being measured. Data acquisition and analysis is going to be a fruitful addition to our research armamentarium with the volume of information now available. A combination of broadband internet, micro electrical machine systems (MEMS), and new wireless communication standards is driving this new wave of medicine. The Internet of Things (IoT) [1] now has a subset which is the Internet of Medical Devices [2-5] permitting a much more in-depth dive into patient procedures and outcomes. IoT devices are now being used to enable remote health monitoring, in hospital treatment, and guide therapies. This article reviews current sensor technology that looks to impact trauma care.

Sensors and digital medicine in orthopaedic surgery

Digital health principles are starting to be evident in medicine. Orthopaedic trauma surgery is also being impacted —indirectly by all other improvements in the health ecosystem but also in particular efforts aimed at trauma surgery. Data acquisition is changing how evidence is gathered and utilized. Sensors are the pen and paper of the next wave of data acquisition. Sensors are gathering wide arrays of information to facilitate digital health relevance and adoption. Early adaption of sensor technology by the nonlegacy health environment is what has made sensor driven data acquisition so palatable to the normal health care system. As it applies to orthopaedic trauma, current sensor driven diagnostics and surveillance are nowhere near as developed as in the larger medical community. Digital health is being explored for health care records, data acquisition in diagnostics and rehabilitation, wellness to health care translation, intraoperative monitoring, surgical technique improvement, as well as some early-stage projects in long-term monitoring with implantable devices. The internet of things is the next digital wave that will undoubtedly affect medicine and orthopaedics. Internet of things (loT) devices are now being used to enable remote health monitoring and emergency notification systems. This article reviews current and future concepts in digital health that will impact trauma care.