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Could Medical Robotics Be Used to Handle Ebola Patients?
Mind of Coporate Stepsister | August 2, 2014 | Coporate Stepsister

Posted on 08/01/2014 10:25:35 PM PDT by CorporateStepsister

Now, should the medical workers in the Ebola infected countries use robotic technology to handle patients, administer certain drugs, and then do certain functions that could prevent the spread of the disease to the workers in the medical field?

I thought this would be a much better way to have patients taken care of and reduce risk drastically in regards to patient to doctor/carer transmission.


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: disease; doctor; drugs; ebola; epidemic; medical; medicalfield; pandemic; patient; patients; robotic; technology
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To: allendale

www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20341423

“Growing concerns over ‘in the air’ transmission of Ebola”

You’ve apparently missed this one.

The Nature article is here:

http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/121115/srep00811/full/srep00811.html


41 posted on 08/02/2014 7:23:31 AM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: allendale

What are we going to do, start letting in Africans who are infected with Ebola because of some sense of not wanting them to feel fear? Ebola either way is 90% a death sentence and there is little to no way that Africa has the resources to even set up a proper facility that will end up having proper containment, much less effective treatment.

We CANNOT and MUST NOT let them come here for treatment, that will be tantamount to infecting the entire US! One way or another they’ll need to be treated and better there than here!

“The disease will simply run its course since there is no effective cure.”

How many people are going to die as the disease spreads? I wish we could have qualified personnel, but regrettably it could well be that if we are going to send people in, we should send people who have the talent to operate at a distance.


42 posted on 08/02/2014 7:24:34 AM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: Sirius Lee

Interesting solution.


43 posted on 08/02/2014 7:25:08 AM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: Black Agnes

We are ‘protected’ by complete idiots.


44 posted on 08/02/2014 7:25:57 AM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: 21twelve

Cooler temps preserve the virus.

The ‘cooler’ months in Africa are usually the ones that are dry as well.

I’m concerned that the current epidemic infection rate seems to go exponential right around the time of their rainy season. Also known as mosquito season.


45 posted on 08/02/2014 7:30:17 AM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: Smokin' Joe; Kartographer
Door handles, handrails, countertops come to mind immediately, and these are the sort of surfaces which could have the still infectious virii present.

ATM keyboards, credit card devices at checkout counters, shopping cart handles, gas pump handles, goods on supermarket shelves if someone sneezes on them, like boxes and cans, clothing someone might have tried on in a department store, bathroom fixtures, MONEY.

People need to think about all the things they touch while out in public that everyone else can lay their hands on or sneeze or cough (or spit) on.

I carry nitrile gloves in my vehicle and am starting to us gardening gloves for pumping gas.

46 posted on 08/02/2014 7:31:35 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Black Agnes
Cooler temps preserve the virus.

The ‘cooler’ months in Africa are usually the ones that are dry as well.

*Cooler* temps in Africa is not a Central NY winter temp of below 30 for weeks on end.

What is the effect of COLD on the virus, do you know?

47 posted on 08/02/2014 7:34:41 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: metmom

Preserved indefinitely at -70.

Hot (160F) for 20-30m kills it though.


48 posted on 08/02/2014 7:41:33 AM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: Black Agnes

yippee.......


49 posted on 08/02/2014 8:27:33 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Black Agnes; CorporateStepsister

Interesting that the paper notes the transmission from pigs ( apparently from aersolized nasal secretions to macaque monkeys but not between the monkeys themselves. This is consistent with the observation that this disease or virus is not transmitted via aerosol infected secretions between humans.That is not to say that the US should be bringing infected people here for ineffective treatment or knowingly allow infected people to visit or immigrate.


50 posted on 08/02/2014 9:26:23 AM PDT by allendale
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To: allendale

Pigs were chosen because ebola in pigs is a respiratory infection.

The publication in Nature explained that.

I am unable to find an experiment where they used monkeys/primates infected with influenza or a rhinovirus that were subsequently infected with ebola as a transmission vector.

Look at the infection number/time graph at the bottom of this page and tell me what happened in late april/early may:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_West_Africa_Ebola_outbreak

Because that time period roughly corresponds to the rainy season in West Africa.

Also known as mosquito season.


51 posted on 08/02/2014 10:23:21 AM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: allendale

I remember reading “The Hot Zone” (I actually own the book) and frankly, I am proud of how the CDC handled things the way they did, collaborating with the US military. It was amazing.

I do believe that it’s only transmissible in cases of contact with the blood and other fluids, but not via aerosol secretions as you say, or airborne.

God willing, it will stay that way. I just hope that one day we can use robotics to handle these victims and personnel can stand by to help with morale and other tasks.


52 posted on 08/02/2014 12:54:05 PM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: Bottom_Gun

Thank you.


53 posted on 08/02/2014 1:24:25 PM PDT by Conservative4Ever (waiting for my Magic 8 ball to give me an answer)
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54 posted on 08/02/2014 1:26:45 PM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

If we get Ebola here. I’m staying home for about a year.


55 posted on 08/31/2014 9:06:35 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes

If it is here, I’ll track it as best I can, while I can, and finish some preps before it gets this far north—and lay in a stock of firewood and coal...it could be a long winter. Some fencing might be in order, too...


56 posted on 08/31/2014 9:54:15 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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