AI Robotics in Medicine

Surgeons at St Mark’s used Eureka, a real-time AI overlay that color-codes tissues (nerves in green, connective tissue in turquoise), marking the UK’s first use and the first surgical deployment outside Japan.

The debut underscores a shift toward AI-augmented navigation that aims to reveal hidden structures, prevent errors, and improve precision and operating-room efficiency alongside robotic or laparoscopic workflows; the key watchpoint is whether these gains prove consistent across procedures.

Tracking: Medicine Robotics · AI Medicine · AI Healthcare

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1. AI tool that color-codes tissues used in UK surgery first time

Surgeons at St Mark’s, the National Bowel Hospital within London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, used an AI guidance tool called Eureka during a bowel resection on Thursday.

The portable system overlays real-time, color-coded highlights on the surgical view—such as nerves in green and connective tissue in turquoise—to help identify, protect, or dissect structures.

This marks the first use of the technology in the UK and the first surgical use outside Japan.

Consultant surgeon Kapil Sahnan described Eureka as an “extra helping arm,” emphasizing its potential to prevent errors by revealing “hidden structures” not easily seen.

Developed by Japanese surgeons and trained on thousands of operative videos, the tool runs alongside robotic or laparoscopic procedures. Its real-time visual navigation aims to enhance precision and operating room efficiency.

Key facts:

- Eureka was used during a bowel resection at St Mark’s on Thursday.

- This was the first use in the UK and outside Japan.

- The patient was a woman in her 60s.

- Eureka overlays real-time, color-coded tissue labels on the operative video.

- Nerves appeared green; connective tissue appeared turquoise.

Why it matters: Real-time AI tissue recognition could reduce inadvertent injury, standardize surgical identification, and accelerate training—especially in complex minimally invasive cases.

Portable, platform-agnostic guidance that works with laparoscopic and robotic workflows may broaden access beyond high-end centers.

What to watch: prospective data on complication rates, operative time, and conversion rates; performance across procedures and anatomies; and how quickly hospitals integrate such AI overlays into routine practice and surgical education.

IndependentTimesofindia