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Issue 9 - Electronic Books Handheld computers, or Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's) are coming of age. The devices are an aid to a clinician's thinking, often described as “peripheral brains”. Given the mushrooming information overload, it is no surprise that a recent survey found that 25% of clinicians in the USA carry these machines. The percentage is set to increase. But perhaps the devices should be even more prevalent already. Issue 8 - Robosurgery A 60 year old diabetic arrives at the hospital complaining of sudden visual loss. The ophthalmologist suspects a thromboembolic event in the retinal vasculature. Today's tools allows the surgeon to routinely visualise the exact vessel that this has occured in. The progress of thrombus is easily documentable, with the inflamatory and necrotic reactions that follow. The cure is clear - remove the clot. Yet thrombolysis is contraindicated in many patients due to the risk of haemorrhagic strokes. Nor is embolectomy possible due to the tiny vasculature involved. There is a frustrating inability to halt the progression to permanent visual loss. Such thromboembolic events are a major cause of blindness in the Western world. Clearly, what is needed are some new tools. Issue 7 - Why NHSNet can never be good NHSNet is network designed with the NHS in mind. Its guiding principles were clinicians' needs for a system to cut through the paperwork of healthcare. This system would be fast, delivering lab results instantly to the doctor that ordered them. It would be secure, insuring the confidentiality of clinical information. And it would provide timely trusted information that doctors would use to make clinical decisions. What went wrong? Issue 6 - New Year from the New World Surgical Sieve starts the New Year by looking across the Atlantic to new technologies. Following a year of dizzy heights of hype, the tech stock market plunged to ruinous levels. However, the pace of innovation continues unabated, and real applications are making their way into healthcare. Issue 5 - Online prescriptions This month sees the launch of two innovative sites - iToke, and the WebBNF. The slogan for iToke is "Need Weed?" That's right, they're a cannabis home delivery service. Just log on to, make an order (up to two grams), and within a couple of hours your friendly local iToke pot salesman will hand deliver to your Amsterdam home address. Issue 4 - Tomorrow's Doctors Doctors of tomorrow will be more computer-savvy, able to the software tools in their clinical practice. But today, a few doctors are busy making those very tools. In this issue, Surgical Sieve interviews some of these pioneers, and glimpses at the future. Issue 3 - Privacy Following the historic agreement between Europe and America over privacy laws, Surgical Sieve looks at the effect of computer technology on the confidentiality of medical records. Issue 2 - Handheld computers On the day the Microsoft releases its PocketPC, Surgical Sieve looks at the use of handhelds in medicine. Issue 1 - Consumer health sites Consumer health web sites - they're here, and they're here to stay. Yet despite their potential, many doctors worry about the quality.