System and method for the modification of surgical procedures using a graphical drag and drop interface

• US 20080004728A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Inventors: Essex, Paul J., Ekvall, Johan, Todd, Kirk W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,272,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00736 Instruments for removal of intra-ocular material or intra-ocular injection, e.g. cataract instruments A61F9/008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for allowing a user to modify a surgical procedure. An embodiment of the method of the present invention can include: providing a GUI on a touch screen of a surgical console, said GUI comprising a representation of the surgical procedure and representations of one or more surgical steps, wherein the GUI allows a user to modify the representation of the surgical procedure by dragging and dropping representations of surgical steps using the touch screen; detecting that the representation of the surgical procedure has been modified; and modifying the surgical procedure to correspond to the modified representation of the surgical procedure.

Claims

1. A method for the modification of a surgical procedure, comprising:

providing a GUI on a touch screen of a surgical console, said GUI comprising a representation of the surgical procedure and representations of one or more surgical steps, wherein the GUI allows a user to modify the representation of the surgical procedure by dragging and dropping representations of surgical steps using the touch screen;

detecting that the representation of the surgical procedure has been modified; and

modifying the surgical procedure to correspond to the modified representation of the surgical procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the surgical procedure comprises representations of surgical steps to be performed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the GUI further comprises an area including representations of surgical steps.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a surgical step is added to the surgical procedure based on dragging a corresponding representation of the surgical step from the area including representations of surgical steps and dropping the corresponding representation of the surgical step at the desired stage in the representation of the surgical procedure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a surgical step is removed from the surgical procedure based on dragging a corresponding representation of the surgical step from the representation of the procedure and dropping the corresponding representation of the surgical step outside of the representation of the surgical procedure.

6. A computer program product comprising a set of computer instructions stored on a computer readable medium, said set of computer instructions comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

provide a GUI on a touch screen of a surgical console, said GUI comprising a representation of the surgical procedure and representations of one or more surgical steps, wherein the GUI allows a user to modify the representation of the surgical procedure by dragging and dropping representations of surgical steps using the touch screen;

detect that the representation of the surgical procedure has been modified; and

modify the surgical procedure implemented by the surgical console to correspond to the modified representation of the surgical procedure.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the representation of the surgical procedure comprises representations of surgical steps to be performed.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the GUI further comprises an area including representations of surgical steps.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a surgical step is added to the surgical procedure based on dragging a corresponding representation of the surgical step from the area including representations of surgical steps and dropping the corresponding representation of the surgical step at the desired stage in the representation of the surgical procedure.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein a surgical step is removed from the surgical procedure based on dragging a corresponding representation of the surgical step from the representation of the procedure and dropping the corresponding representation of the surgical step outside of the representation of the surgical procedure.

11. A surgical system comprising:

a touch screen display;

a surgical console; and

a controller coupled to the touch screen display and the surgical console, the controller configured to;

provide a GUI on the touch screen display, said GUI comprising a representation of the surgical procedure and representations of one or more surgical steps, wherein the GUI allows a user to modify the representation of the surgical procedure by dragging and dropping representations of surgical steps using the touch screen;

detect that the representation of the surgical procedure has been modified; and

modify the surgical procedure implemented by the surgical console to correspond to the modified representation of the surgical procedure.

12. The surgical system of claim 11, wherein the representation of the surgical procedure comprises representations of surgical steps to be performed.

13. The surgical system of claim 12, wherein the GUI further comprises an area including representations of surgical steps.

14. The surgical system of claim 13, wherein a surgical step is added to the surgical procedure based on dragging a corresponding representation of the surgical step from the area including representations of surgical steps and dropping the corresponding representation of the surgical step at the desired stage in the representation of the surgical procedure.

15. The surgical system of claim 11, wherein a surgical step is removed from the surgical procedure based on dragging a corresponding representation of the surgical step from the representation of the procedure and dropping the corresponding representation of the surgical step outside of the representation of the surgical procedure.