Term 1 -- One World Assessment
Endoscopy

               In most cases of surgery, in order to operate on the patient properly, surgeons need to see inside the patient. They need to have visual confirmation of the issue. When this is necessary, the obvious resolution would be to perform an open surgery, although, this may cause infections, a lot of swelling, and it takes time to recover. A more efficient way of solving this issue would be by performing endoscopy. With the use of endoscopes, surgeons are granted access to visual information of what is happening inside the patient’s body. In this essay, I will discuss the advantages and limitations of endoscopy in terms of social, economic, political, environmental, cultural and, or ethical standing. Despite that, I will argue that the advantages of Endoscopy are more significant than its limitations.

                First foremost, Endoscopy [read as ”en-dos-kuh-pee”] taken from the words “endo” and “scopy”. “Endo” is of Greek origin, taken from endon which means inside, meanwhile, “scopy” is of greek origin, taken from scopia which means to watch or see. Endoscopy itself is an examination performed with a tool, called an endoscope. Endoscopes work by using these strands of glass referred to optic fibers to reflect light into the body, which reflects back to the camera. Fiber optics are extremely thin,they’re about as thin as 

human hair and are made up of three layers, the core, the cladding, and buffer coating. The core is where the light travels, the cladding reflects light back to the core, and the buffer coating is a protective layer of plastic. At 85°, the light entering the endoscope will experience total internal reflection, which means the light will continue to reflect until it reaches the fiber optic’s end. A bundle of these light up the endoscope and acts as a flashlight. An endoscope consists of multiple parts, such as the camera or the eyepiece, which serves to let us process the visual information. The tool also has features that allow it to control the water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen that enters and exits the tube from the distil end, which is the end of the pipe inserted in natural openings of the body to inspect, or places in very thin incisions. The types of endoscopy available are Arthroscopy, Bronchoscopy, Endoscope Biopsy, Gastroscopy and Laparoscopy.

            Endoscopy has multiple advantages, the most significant one would surely be placed under the social category. This advantage would be the fact that endoscopy on its own is a minimally invasive operation. In other words, these procedures often require no incisions to be completed. Even if incisions were necessary, their size would not be large. This benefits those who are constantly concerned for their appearance. Many do not approve of having scars on their skin. Most dislike it due to wanting clear skin. Instead of concern for the views of others, many also try to avoid having traditional or open surgeries to prevent feeling anxiety, fear or any form of trauma after the surgery. Some get more worried than others when they see a scar from an incision or experience swelling and pain. The quick recovery time needed after the operation would also help those with a busy lifestyle. Many choose to leave the hospital as quickly as possible to continue their daily routines.

                Other than social concerns, endoscopy may benefit people in terms of economy. The endoscope itself is not exactly the most compact, and easily brought around tool in the medical field, although it has the ability to operate outside the hospital, or any medical center. This can reduce costs that need to be paid afterwards by taking off the weight of the necessary hospital bill. Otherwise, in a more ethical view, the endoscope’s accessibility allow certain procedures to be taken on the spot, if the patient is in a critical state that needs the endoscope to be quickly used, they would not have to wait before reaching the hospital and  risk the life of a patient.

                On the other hand, endoscopy also possesses certain limitations. The pressure of the operaton would move from the patient to the surgeon. Endoscopic examinations require an experienced surgeon to operate with it, since the device is quite tricky to work with. In cases where the surgeon is not familiar with the device, the operation consumes more time. It’s best for a professional to work with the tool rather than someone who’ve just started. Even with endoscopy, people experience some pain after the surgery, despite it being a small amount. Although it depends on the type of operation they’ve undergone. As I’ve mentioned, the patient suffers less, and has a better experience of the surgery, although, in the other side of the social spectrum, the surgeons favor it less.

                Lastly, endoscopic procedures are not available in all areas of the world. In many rural areas or some slightly isolated areas do not have access to this tool. These tools are quite costly and may not accessible by everyone. It also requires a sterile location to be performed.   

                In conclusion, these limitations can easily be overcome with progress. The first limitation can be solved by limiting the number of endoscopic procedures which are performed, or in another way organize it. The second limitation could be solved, although it would require investment towards the medical world. Many companies work for the better good of human sanitation and may chooses to invest in certain areas for better healthcare. This is why endoscopy has many advantages and limitations that may be overcome.




Sources:

[1] Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig.  "How Fiber Optics Work"  06 March 2001.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic.htm>  21 October 2014.

[2] Medical Physics-Endoscopes,Genesis, N.A, Andrew Simmons, 19 October 2014, http://www.genesis.net.au/~ajs/projects/medical_physics/endoscopes/

[3] What advantages and Disadvantages of using endoscopy?, Medicine ask, N.A, N.P, http://www.medicineask.com/medicine/medicine-156517.html

[4] Surgery Lite: understanding endoscopy, Web MD, N.A, R Morgan Griffin, 18 October 2014, http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/understanding-endoscopic-surgery

[5] Endoscopy, Dictionary.com, N.A, N.P, 18 October 2014, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/endoscopy

[6] Endo, Dictionary.com, N.A, N.P, 18 October 2014, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/endo-

[7] Scopy, Dictionary.com, N.A, N.P, 18 October 2014, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/-scopy