Fetal Surgery

Lester D. Stone, EL 65, The Cyborg Self, Brown University, 2006

Medical cyborgs portray another type of cyborgs. Surgical fetal cyborgs are only one part of these medical borgs. These medical cyborgs are made through surgery and other biomedical interventions. Fetal surgery differs entirely from other types of surgery because this surgery involves two patients in one body. The objective of fetal surgery is to heal the fetal patient. Maternal surgery's objective is to access the fetus. In fetal surgery a surgeon ,opens up a pregnant woman surgically through the abdomen and uterus by cesarean section. The amniotic sac becomes drained from the surgeon, from there removing partially the fetal body part which requires surgery. After, there is the process of operating on and then closing the fetus, replenishing the amniotic fluid and resealing the abdomen and the woman's uterus. Thesurgeon watches the fetus monitored by a small telemetric device placed inside its chest throughout the procedure. Both patients are anesthetized through the maternal body. The pregnant mom or technomom as the center technology defines the fetal surgery because through her access to the fetus exists. Throughout the surgery, the pregnant woman is constantly monitored by surgeons thanks to imaging and recording technologies. Fetal surgery transforms pregnant women into maternal cyborgs for the maintenance of technofetuses. Within Fetal Surgery, all the previous technologies come together. Vision, death, healing, wound healing and life technology support both the pregnant mother and the fetus.

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Last modified 30 December 2006