A video game playing surgeon could be a real life saver

ABC13 ^ | 4/7/04 | The Associated Press

[qam1]

NEW YORK) — All those years on the couch playing Nintendo and PlayStation appear to be paying off for surgeons.

Researchers found that doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37 percent less mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27 percent faster than their counterparts who did not play video games.

"I use the same hand-eye coordination to play video games as I use for surgery," said Dr. James "Butch" Rosser, 49, who demonstrated the results of his study Tuesday at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Laparoscopic surgery -- using a tiny camera and instruments controlled by joysticks outside the body -- is performed on just about any part of the body, from an appendix to the colon and gall bladder.

The minimally intrusive surgery involves making tiny keyhole incisions, inserting a mini-video camera that sends images to an external video screen, with the surgical tools remote-controlled by the surgeon watching the screen. Surgeons can now practice their techniques through video simulations.

Rosser said the skill needed for laparoscopic surgery is "like tying your shoelaces with 3-foot-long chopsticks."

"Yes, here we go!" said Rosser, sitting in front of a Super Monkey Ball game, which shoots a ball into a confined goal. "This is a nice, wholesome game. No blood and guts. But I need the same kind of skill to go into a body and sew two pieces of intestine together."

The study on whether good video game skills translate into surgical prowess was done by researchers with Beth Israel and the National Institute on Media and the Family at Iowa State University. It was based on testing 33 fellow doctors -- 12 attending physicians and 21 medical school residents who participated from May to August 2003.

Each doctor completed three video game tasks that tested such factors as motor skills, reaction time and hand-eye coordination.

The study "landmarks the arrival of Generation X into medicine," said the study's co-author, Dr. Paul J. Lynch, a Beth Israel anesthesiologist who has studied the effects of video games for years.

Kurt Squire, a University of Wisconsin researcher of video game effects on learning, said that "with a video game, you can definitely develop timing and a sense of touch, as well as a very intuitive feel for manipulating devices."

Squire, who was not involved in Rosser's project, said applying such games to surgery training "could play a key role in preparing medical health professionals."

Beth Israel is now experimenting with applying the findings.

Rosser has developed a course called Top Gun, in which surgical trainees warm up their coordination, agility and accuracy with a video game before entering the operating room.

"It's like a good football player," Rosser said, "you have to warm up first."

[He Rides A White Horse]

Yes, here we go!" said Rosser, sitting in front of a Super Monkey Ball game, which shoots a ball into a confined goal.

Kind of like putting a laser guided bomb through the window of some Muslim cleric's house. Keep practicing boys.

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[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social aspects that directly effects Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1982) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details.  

[Riley]

Speaking as a gamer, and someone who went under the knife yesterday morning (angioplasty and a stent), I'd LOVE to have a surgical sim to play with.

[tbird5]

My son should be a doctor. Can't get him away from the games.

[ECM]

I do the gaming thing for a living, but I had no idea it could be taken this far!

[SedVictaCatoni]

TuM0r***0v3rl0rd*** has been excised.
TuM0r***0v3rl0rd***: wtf l3m3r c4mp3r f4g00t!!!1
SuRgEoN^_^D00d: lol cya

[eno_]

"Yes ma'am, I total p0wn3d your husband's arterial blockage."

[Riley]

LOL! Not sure how you could be a 'camper' in a surgery sim!

[Simmy2.5]

Sounds logical in a way. Some video games require skill to complete. Especially some of those arcade games (shooting a target, making sure it is the RIGHT target, and shooting it accurately. I can see this kind of game helping people hone in on their targeting skills). HOWEVER, I never thought about it being useful for surgeons and doctors. If this is the case, cool.

Though, while I play a lot of games, I somehow doubt...I would be a great doctor. Just my opinion. ;-)

[Erasmus]

Well, they need to put out a new video game that is actually based on laparoscopy. Call it "Mission to Uranus."

[Old Professer]

It would really be something if they could put an accelerometer in the incising end and a small feedback servomotor in the joystick so one could actually "feel" when he was touching tissue. Creative idea #11,001,001

[glaux]

Halo-rifice

[SedVictaCatoni]

Dude, I've seen them on TV. Those surgeons just stand in one place the whole time.

[Lancey Howard]

About 15 years ago a guy I knew who worked (in a civilian capacity) at the Naval Air Development Center told me that the Navy pilots were encouraged to play video games. They even set up the arcades in the base so that the pilots could take the "cards" with them (back then the games were mainly played on big stand-up machines as opposed to televisions) from station to station. This way, they could continue games in progress without having to start over. The theory was that playing video games enhanced hand-eye coordination.

[dixiechick2000]

Beware the surgeon with Action Replay.

[Lancey Howard]

[Erasmus]

Don't have time to look it up right now, maybe in a few hours, but there was a thread on this here a year or two ago about a cross-country remote surgery experiment. I posted my (usual erudite!) two cents.

[eno_]

Saw it in Atari's lab in Cambridge about 25 years ago.