Nanorobots in anasthesiology

NANOTECH CONTROLLER
Nanotechnology will let us build fleets of computer controlled molecular tools and by
using this nano materials are created which these materials have very different properties than
materials at nano scale. They can be stronger, lighter, more electrically conductive, more
porus and less corressive than bulk materials. The nanomaterials have the potential to solve
unique biological challenges not currently possible.
The common examples of nanomaterials are found in scientific literature flurescence,
nanotubes, buckballs, quantum dots and nanoshells.
This was coined in1974 by Norio Taniguchi at the University of Tokyo.
Nanotechnology is actually a multitude of rapidly emerging technologies, most promising
potential of nanotechnology exists due to the laws of quantum physics.
Quantum physics laws take over at this scale enabling novel applications in optics,
electronics, magnetic storage, computing, catalysts and other areas.
It uses a basic unit of measure called a“nanometer” ( abbreviated nm) derived from
greek word for midget ,”nano” is a metric prefix and indicates a billionth part (10-9).There
are one million nm’s to ammeter
Each nm is only three to five atoms wide. They’re small. Really ~40,000 times smaller than
the width of an average human hair.
The invention of super small computers bacteria sized with todays MIPS capacity
processing power of billion laptops.
A nanometer is one thousandth of a micron and a thousandth of a millionth of meter
(a billionth of a meter). Imagine one billion nanometer in a meter perspective a nanometer. Is
about the width of six bounded carbon atoms, and approximately 40,000 are needed to equal
the width of an average human hair.
Another way to initialize nanometer 1 inch =25,400,000 nanometres.
A red blood cell is ~ 7,000 nm in diameter. And ~2,000 nm in height.
A virus is ~ 100 nm.
A buck ball is 1 nm.
A hydrogen atom is 1 nm.
For our purposes nanometers pertains to science, technology, manufacturing,
chemistry, health science, space programs, medical and engineering.
In engineering , it is used to reduce the size and increase the efficiency . But , in
medical it is used to overcome operations and severe risk taking disease. Think of your brain,
Now performing vastly superior levels Nano dots will become an as-needed addition to your
existing neurons extending your mental capabilities further than imagine .
The tablets, injections are used in nano technology for curing disease for living
organisms.
“But,in this tablets and injections are used for giving
instructions in brain ,and also we can be safe from any disease and we can cure any heart or
kidney problems without any surgery . During this treatment the human can continue his/her
regular work as usual. This can be taken as tablet, injection, food, cool drinks, oil applied to
hair etc”. for this construction a computer and the nano medicine is used.
Introduction
Background
The medical area of nano science application is one of the most potentially valuable, with
many projected benefits to humanity. Cells themselves are very complex and efficient nanomachines,
and chemists and biochemists have been working at the nano scale for some time
without using the nano label. Some areas of nano science aim to learn from biological nano
systems, while others are focusing on the integration of the organic and inorganic at the nano
scale. Many possible applications arising from this science are being researched.
Drug Delivery Using Nanoparticles and Molecular Carriers
Finally, drug delivery is likely to benefit from the development of nanotechnology.
With nanoparticles it is possible that drugs may be given better solubility, leading to better
absorption. Also, drugs may be contained within a molecular carrier, either to protect them
from stomach acids or to control the release of the drug to a specific targeted area, reducing
the likelihood of side effects. Such drugs are already beginning pre-clinical or clinical trials,
adhering to the strict regulatory requirements for new pharmaceuticals. Due to this,
development costs are often high and outcomes of research sometimes limited.
Lab on a Chip and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
The ultimate combination of the laboratory-on-a-chip and advanced drug delivery
technologies would be a device that was implantable in the body, which would continuously
monitor the level of various biochemicals in the bloodstream and in response would release
appropriate drugs. For example, an insulin-dependent diabetic could use such a device to
continuously monitor and adjust insulin levels autonomously. There is no doubt that this is
the direction that current advances in which micro fluidics and drug delivery are heading.
Anesthesia
Anesthesia, or anaesthesia has traditionally meant the condition of having sensation
(including the feeling of pain) blocked. This allows patients to undergo surgery and other
procedures without the distress and pain they would otherwise experience. The word was
coined by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. in 1846. Another definition is a "reversible lack of
awareness", whether this is a total lack of awareness (e.g. a general anaesthestic) or a lack of
awareness of a part of a the body such as a spinal anaesthetic or another nerve block would
cause. Anesthesia differs from analgesia in blocking all sensation, not only pain.
Today, the term general anesthesia in its most general form can include:
• Analgesia: blocking the conscious sensation of pain;
• Hypnosis: produces unconsciousness without analgesia;
• Amnesia: preventing memory formation;
• Relaxation: preventing unwanted movement or muscle tone;
• Obtundation of reflexes, preventing exaggerated autonomic reflexes.
Patients undergoing surgery usually undergo preoperative evaluation. It includes gathering
history of previous anesthetics, and any other medical problems, physical examination,
ordering required blood work and consultations prior to surgery.
There are several forms of anesthesia. The following forms refer to states achieved by
anesthetics working on the brain:
• General anesthesia: "Drug-induced loss of consciousness during which patients are
not arousable, even by painful stimulation." Patients undergoing general anesthesia
can often neither maintain their own airway nor breathe on their own. While usually
administered with inhalational agents, general anesthesia can be achieved with
intravenous agents, such as propofol.
• Deep sedation/analgesia: "Drug-induced depression of consciousness during which
patients cannot be easily aroused but respond purposefully following repeated or
painful stimulation." Patients may sometimes be unable to maintain their airway and
breathe on their own.
• Moderate sedation/analgesia or conscious sedation: "Drug-induced depression of
consciousness during which patients respond purposefully to verbal commands, either
alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation." In this state, patients can breathe
on their own and need no help maintaining an airway.
• Minimal sedation or anxiolysis: "Drug-induced state during which patients respond
normally to verbal commands." Though concentration, memory, and coordination
may be impaired, patients need no help breathing or maintaining an airway.
The level of anesthesia achieved ranges on a continuum of depth of consciousness from
minimal sedation to general anesthesia. The depth of consciousness of a patient may change
from one minute to the next.
The following refer to the states achieved by anesthetics working outside of the brain:
• Regional anesthesia: Loss of pain sensation, with varying degrees of muscle
relaxation, in certain regions of the body. Administered with local anesthesia to
peripheral nerve bundles, such as the brachial plexus in the neck. Examples include
the interscalene block for shoulder surgery, axillary block for wrist surgery, and
femoral nerve block for leg surgery. While traditionally administered as a single
injection, newer techniques involve placement of indwelling catheters for continuous
or intermittent administration of local anesthetics.
o Spinal anesthesia: also known as subarachnoid block. Refers to a Regional
block resulting from a small volume of local anesthetics being injected into the
spinal canal. The spinal canal is covered by the dura mater, through which the
spinal needle enters. The spinal canal contains cerebrospinal fluid and the
spinal cord. The sub arachnoid block is usually injected between the 4th and
5th lumbar vertebrae, because the spinal cord usually stops at the 1st lumbar
vertebra, while the canal continues to the sacral vertebrae. It results in a loss of
pain sensation and muscle strength, usually up to the level of the chest (nipple
line or 4th thoracic dermatome).
o Epidural anesthesia: Regional block resulting from an injection of a large
volume of local anesthetic into the epidural space. The epidural space is a
potential space that lies underneath the ligamenta flava, and outside the dura
mater (outside layer of the spinal canal). This is basically an injection around
the spinal canal.
• Local anesthesia is similar to regional anesthesia, but exerts its effect on a smaller
area of the body.
History
Herbal derivatives
The first anesthesia (a herbal remedy) was administered in prehistory. Opium poppy capsules
were collected in 4200 BC, and opium poppies were farmed in Sumeria and succeeding
empires. The use of opium-like preparations in anaesthesia is recorded in the Ebers Papyrus
of 1500 BC
Non-pharmacological methods
Hypnotism and acupuncture have a long history of use as anesthetic techniques. In China,
Taoist medical practitioners developed anesthesia by means of acupuncture. Chilling tissue
(e.g. with ice) can temporarily cause nerve fibers (axons) to stop conducting sensation, while
hyperventilation can cause brief alteration in conscious perception of stimuli including pain
(see Lamaze).
Anesthetic agents
Local anesthetics
inhaled general anesthetic agents
intravenous anesthetic agents (non-opioid)
Current intravenous opioid analgesic agents
Current muscle relaxants
intravenous reversal agents
Anesthetic equipment
In modern anesthesia, a wide variety of medical equipment is desirable depending on the
necessity for portable field use, surgical operations or intensive care support. Anesthesia
practitioners must possess a comprehensive and intricate knowledge of the production and
use of various medical gases, anaesthetic agents and vapours, medical breathing circuits
and the variety of anaesthetic machines (including vaporizers, ventilators and pressure
gauges) and their corresponding safety features, hazards and limitations of each piece of
equipment, for the safe, clinical competence and practical application for day to day practice.
Anesthetic monitoring
Patients being treated under general anesthetics must be monitored continuously to ensure the
patient's safety.
Anesthesia record
The anesthesia record is the medical and legal documentation of events during an anesthetic.
It reflects a detailed and continuous account of drugs,
NANOTECHNOLOGY::
Nano is one billionth of one. Now we have the so-called microprocessors
and microarray technology that would reach the nano level within a few decades, we suppose.
Some call this technology to be nanotechnology and some others name it the molecular
nanotechnology, to be specific.
REASONS FOR APPLYIING NANOTECH TO BIIOLOGIICAL SYSTEMS::
Most animal cells are 10,000 to 20,000 nanometers in diameter. This means that
nanoscale devices (having at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers) can enter cells
and the organelles inside them to interact with DNA and proteins. Tools developed through
nanotechnology may be able to detect disease in a very small amount of cells or tissue. They
may also be able to enter and monitor cells within a living body. Miniaturization will allow
the tools for many different tests to be situated together on the same small device. This
means that nanotechnology could make it possible to run many diagnostic tests
simultaneously as well as with more sensitivity. In general, nanotechnology may offer a
faster and more efficient means for us to do much of what we do now.
NANOMEDICINE::
The emerging field of nanorobotics is aimed at overcoming the
shortcomings present in the traditional way of treatment of patients. Our bodies are filled
with intricate, active molecular structures. When those structures are damaged, health
suffers. Modern medicine can affect the work of the body in many ways, but from a
molecular viewpoint it remains crude. Molecular manufacturing can construct a range of
medical instruments and devices with greater abilities. The human body can be seen as a
workyard, construction site, and battleground form molecular machines. It works
remarkably well; using systems so complex that medical science still doesn’t understand
many of them.
BIOMEDICAL APPILICATIONS OF NANOROBOTS::
The enormous potential in the biomedical capabilities of nanorobots and
the imprecision and side effects of medical treatments today make nanorobots very
desirable. But today, in this revolutionary era we propose for nanomedical robots, since
they will have no difficulty in identifying the target site cells even at the very early stages
which cannot be done in the traditional treatment and will ultimately be able to track them
down and destroy them wherever they may be growing. By having these Robots, we can
refine the treatment of diseases by using biomedical, nanotechnological engineering.
Nanorobot designed to perform cell surgery
WHAT IS A MEDICINAL NANOROBOT ?
Nanorobots are theoretical microscopic devices measured on the scale of nanometers (1
nm equals one millionth of a millimeter). When fully realized from the hypothetical stage, they
would work at the atomic, molecular and cellular level to perform tasks in both the medical and
industrial fields that have heretofore been the stuff of science fiction Nanomedicine’s nanorobots
are so tiny that they can easily traverse the human body. Scientists report the exterior of a
nanorobot will likely be constructed of carbon atoms in a diamondoid structure because of its
inert properties and strength. Super-smooth surfaces will lessen the likelihood of triggering the
body’s immune system, allowing the nanorobots to go about their business unimpeded. Glucose
or natural body sugars and oxygen might be a source for propulsion, and the nanorobot will have
other biochemical or molecular parts depending on its task.
Nanorobot in Nanoscale
According to current theories, nanorobots will possess at least rudimentary two-way
communication; will respond to acoustic signals; and will be able to receive power or even reprogramming
instructions from an external source via sound waves. A network of special
stationary nanorobots might be strategically positioned throughout the body, logging each active
nanorobot as it passes, then reporting those results, allowing an interface to keep track of all of
the devices in the body. A doctor could not only monitor a patient’s progress but change the
instructions of the nanorobots in vivo to progress to another stage of healing. When the task is
completed, the nanorobots would be flushed from the body.
Nanorobot performing operations on blood cells
IMPLEMENTATION::
Anestthesiia USING NANOTECHNOLOGY::
Automated anesthesia delivery.
Automated delivery of inhalational anesthetics.
Automated I.V. anesthesia delivery system.
Nano assisted titration of I.V. agents with target controlled infusion.
CREATIION OF NANO DEVIICES::
The creation of the nano devices can be done using any of the two techniques that
are available. They are
• Top-down approach
• Bottom-up approach
CHALLENGES FACED BY NANOROBOTS::
While designing nonorobots in nanoscale dimensions there should be a better
understanding of how matter behaves on this small scale. Matter behaves differently on the
nanoscale than it does at larger levels. So the behaviour of the nanorobots must be taken
care so that the do not affect us both inside and outside the body.
Other challenges apply specifically to the use of nanostructures within biological
systems. Nanostructures can be so small that the body may clear them too rapidly for them
to be effective in detection or imaging. Larger nanoparticles may accumulate in vital
organs, creating a toxicity problem. So we need to consider these factors as they anticipate
how nanostructures will behave in the human body and attempt to create devices the body
will accept.
DESIIGN OF NANOROBOTS::
The nanorobots that we describe here will be floating freely inside the body
exploring and detect the various receptors eg GABA receptors in the brain, opioid
receptors, neuromuscular junction receptors. So, while designing such a nanorobot for
anesthesia, the main factors that are to be considered are given below.
TECHNIIQUE USED::
We use the bottom-up approach, which involves assembling structures atom-byatom
or molecule-by-molecule which will be useful in manufacturing devices used in
medicine.
SIIZE::
Nanorobots will typically be .5 to 3 microns large with 1-100 nm parts. Three microns
is the upper limit of any nanorobot because nanorobots of larger size will block capillary
flow.
STRUCTURE::
The nanorobot’s structure will have two spaces that are
Interior:
It will be a closed, vacuum environment into which liquids from the outside cannot
normally enter unless it is needed for chemical analysis.
Exterior: It will be subjected to various chemical liquids in our bodies.
CHEMIICAL ELEMENTS::
Carbon will likely be the principal element comprising the bulk of a
medical nanorobot, probably in the form of diamond or diamondoid/fullerene
nanocomposites largely because of the tremendous strength and chemicalinertness of
diamond. Many other light elements such as hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen,nitrogen, fluorine,
silicon, etc. may also be used
ABIILIITY TO DEFEND FROM IIMMUNE SYSTEM::
Immune system response is primarily a reaction to a "foreign" surface..
Passive diamond exteriors may turn out to be ideal. Several experimental studies hint that
the smoother and more flawless the diamond surface, the less leukocyte activity and the less
fibrinogen adsorption we will get. So it seems reasonable to hope that when diamond
coatings can be laid down with almost flawless atomic precision, making nanorobot exterior
surfaces with near-nanometer smoothness that these surfaces may have very low
bioactivity. Due to the extremely high surface energy of the passivated diamond surface and
the strong hydrophobicity of the diamond surface, the diamond exterior is almost
completely chemically inert and so opsonization should be minimized. If flawless diamond
surfaces alone do not prove fully bioinactive as hoped, active surface management of the
nanorobot exterior can be used to ensure complete nanodevice biocompatibility. Allergic
and shock reactions are similarly easily avoided.
ACQUIIRING POWER::
It could metabolize local glucose and oxygen for energy. Another possibility is
externally supplied acoustic power, which is probably most appropriate in a clinical setting.
There are literally dozens of useful power sources that are potentially available in the
human body.
COMMUNIICATON::
Having nanorobots inside the body it is very essential to know the actions done by it.
There are many different ways to do this. One of the simplest ways to send broadcast-type
messages into the body, to be received by nanorobots, is acoustic messaging. A device
similar to an ultrasound probe would encode messages on acoustic carrier waves at
frequencies between 1-10 MHz.
TRACKIING::
A navigational network may be installed in the body, with stationkeeping
navigational elements providing high positional accuracy to all passing nanorobots
that interrogate them, wanting to know their location. Physical positions can be
reported continuously using an in vivo communications network.
STRUCTURE OF NANOROBOT::
The nanorobot consists of three main parts like the receptor sensor, CPU, effector and the
power system. The purpose of receptor sensor is to identify the different anesthesia receptors on
the cell. The effector is used to produce the post receptor event.The CPU controls all the activities
.The power system provides the necessary energy for the working of the nanorobot.
GP120
layer GABA
layer
REQIREMENTS OF THE NANOROBOT:
1. It should e very small so that the blood capillary flow is not affected.
2. It should not be affected by the WBC.
3. It should be capable of attaching to anesthesia receptors only.
4. It should make its operations in the brain with GABA receptors, in the muscles with
neuromuscular junction and in the spinal cord with the opioid receptors .
5. It should be made of cheaper rates, so that the patient can afford it easily.
OPERATION::
The designed anesthesia nanorobots are injected into the blood stream. These nanorobots attaches
to the various receptor in the different parts of the body and produces the effects.
GABA receptors produces the loss of consciousness and amesia
Neuromuscular junction produces the full muscle relaxation
These two gives the good intubation conditions for securing the airway.
Opioid receptors produce the good analgesia.
In Spinal cord attaches to the sodium channel receptor and produces the spinal anesthesia
Arrangement
to produce
the effect
Recept
or
Power System
Central
Processin
g Unit
effector
Site for
receptor
attachment
ADVANTAGES::
1. More than million people in this world are undergoing surgery where anesthesia is essential.
Currently an anesthesiologist is required to give the anesthesia and carefull titration of the
drugs is essential to prevent the side effects like hypotension, desaturation, preventing the
intubation response.
2. As the nanorobot do not generate any harmful activities there is no side effect. It operates at
specific site only.
3. The initial cost of development is only high but the manufacturing by batch processing
reduces the cost.
4. Can be used in both general as well as spinal anesthesia.
5. Reduces the mortality and morbidity associated with anesthesia.
6. Patient satisfaction.
7. Less drug consumption and hence less side effects.
8. No peaks and downs in pain relief.
9. Labour analgesia; can provide pain relief for the mother at the time of delivery.
DISADVANTAGES::
1.The nanorobot should be very accurate, otherwise harmful effects may occur.
2.The initial design cost is very high.
3.The design of this nanorobot is a very complicated one
CONCLUSION::
The paper is just a recent advancement in the field of nanotechnology gives the hope of
the effective use of this technology in medical field. This paper gives an idea of giving exhalent
pain relief to millions of patients who undergo various types of surgery and also pain relief to
terminally ill cancer patients. Using this technology we can conduct safe and painless delivery
and provide exhalent care to the mother and baby.