In 1995, Yoel Fink, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), participated in a project funded by the United States Department of Defense. The project asked participants to construct the perfect mirror which they needed to reflect CO2 lasers. Fink accomplished this task successfully, benefitting not only the military, but also surgeons using laser technology. Fink created the mirror by alternating extremely thin layers of a semi-conducting glass and a polymer, which have different optical properties, resulting in a mirror that could reflect any wavelength of any electromagnetic energy. From there, Fink used his mirror to created a fiber optic tool, which allowed surgeons to reach almost anywhere in the body with a CO2 laser. Using this “perfect mirror” tool, surgeons could use lasers in more complicated but minimally invasive surgeries in place of a scalpel. Patients that underwent laser surgery would have smaller incisions, resulting in a quicker recovery, and they would also have fewer complications and spend less time in surgery. Many surgeons in the U.S. have already started using the fiber optic tool in place of a scalpel to perform minimally invasive surgery on different parts of the body. In some cases, the CO2 laser can reach areas that a scalpel could not get to, allowing surgeons to perform surgeries that were not possible without the tool.
Before Fink’s breakthrough tool, surgeons that used lasers to operate usually ran into various complications and the lasers could only be used to operate on certain areas of the body because the laser could only travel at a straight angle. There was no way to carry the CO2 laser to the point of incision if it was in deeper tissue of the body. Now, the laser can be used by surgeons in a small, pen-like tool to successfully perform these surgeries with less risk of a problem. Still, with any new technology, there is a chance that problems may occur or doctors that are inexperienced or unfamiliar with the tool can make a mistake while using it. If you have questions about the medical care you received during a surgical procedure, contact the surgery malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, serving clients in Nassau and Suffolk County, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos also serve clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County. We have helped hundreds of patients who did not receive proper medical care during their surgeries.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
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