Summary: The mobile Smart Cyber Operating Theater (SCOT), an advanced medical vehicle developed collaboratively by Tokyo Women’s Medical University and NTT Docomo, has been designed to deliver crucial medical treatment and support under normal as well as disaster situations. This cutting-edge system leverages 5G technology and a cloud-based framework to facilitate real-time sharing of critical medical information, including surgical images and data on patients’ vitals, with surgeons in remote locations. The application of this innovation has greatly improved the decision-making speed and efficacy during medical interventions. In disaster scenarios, demonstration experiments of telemedicine in surgical care were conducted using simulated patients with femur fractures, mandibular fractures, and colonic injuries. Using a robust 5G network alongside a multi-access cloud system, the experiment enabled the seamless sharing of surgical footage and physiological data with remote medical teams, enabling quick clinical decisions. The experiments highlighted the system’s capacity to enable uninterrupted collaboration among medical personnel and provide specialized telemedicine in surgical care. The system addresses three critical challenges in disaster medical care: preventing communication disruptions, ensuring real-time responsiveness, and avoiding loss of medical information. Collectively, the system’s features markedly bolster rapid medical responses and enhance its potential to deliver swift and efficient medical interventions during normal as well as disaster situations. By integrating advanced software and hardware technologies, the system supports the provision of comprehensive medical care in disaster-stricken areas. This is particularly vital in locations where traditional medical infrastructure is compromised. The deployment of the mobile SCOT in disaster situations is expected to improve the outcomes and prognosis of disaster victims, marking a substantial advancement in emergency medical services and highlighting the importance of technological integration in health care.
Mikoto Onodera (Sun,) studied this question.