August 18, 2009 – Medical conferencing solutions provider MultiSense Communications and medical imaging specialist Barco recently demonstrated the clinical benefits of today's telemedicine systems during a live open-heart surgery operation at the Imperial College Hospital in Hammersmith, U.K.
An entire heart valve repair procedure was captured and transmitted to a professional audience using a mobile telemedicine system from MultiSense and Barco's high-definition surgical display. The open-heart procedure was performed by Dr. Prakash P. Punjabi, while more than 70 surgeons and medical professionals from all over Europe witnessed the session as part of a master class.
The conferencing system used in Hammersmith combined MultiSense's telemedicine infrastructure with Barco's surgical display technology. The system provided viewers with a real-time, two-way communication link between the operating theater and the conference room, thereby enabling detailed discussions while the procedure was being performed. Thanks to the surgical display's intelligent picture-in-picture functionality, the audience had a high-definition view of the operation on screen, including local and remote camera images, the patient's vital signs, and the endoscopic video of the operation.
By using this sophisticated medical conferencing technology, the Imperial College Hospital was able to host this educational session without having to adapt their existing infrastructure. The system also saved them the costs of hiring a satellite truck, microwave links and camera crew.
“The MultiSense medical cart provides a very efficient and comfortable way of visualizing and sharing images and data, both inside and outside of the surgery suite,” said Dr. Punjabi. “The most important aspect of the solution, however, is the excellent quality of the patient images. The Barco MDSC-2124 surgical display guarantees excellent performance under high ambient light conditions, and allows for detailed discussion during the procedure. Moreover, at 1,920 x 1,200, its high-definition resolution improves depth perception, enhances hand-view coordination and allows for better patient care overall.”
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