Reimagining the Clinical Space Using Virtual Technology
During this webinar on the use of MedPresence to allow remote clinical engagement in surgical procedures, Dr. Ajay K. Wakhloo, Chair of the Neurointerventional Radiology Department at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Burlington, MA, explored how his team overcame the challenges of pandemic conditions to treat a patient with a brain aneurysm using a novel flow diverter device. As mandated by the U.S. FDA, Dr. Wakhloo and his surgical team required supervision by a proctor with experience placing the device, but travel and hospital access restrictions limited the options for proctoring. The solution was to bring the proctor into the surgical suite remotely using an interactive telepresence platform. In this way, the proctoring physician in Toronto was able to remotely supervise the case.
Based on his experience, Dr. Wakhloo reviewed the benefits of teleproctoring relevant during the pandemic and beyond, which include:
- Open new pathways for physician training assistance and ultimately safer and more readily available delivery of patient care, even in remote areas, through the streamlined integration of high-quality image broadcasting systems
- Enhance collaboration with domestic and foreign colleagues to advance clinical trials and research
- Reduce costs associated with travel
- Minimize our carbon footprints
- Enable junior team members to observe and review recordings of complex procedures without the possibility of supervision by senior faculty
- Reduce obstacles of widespread access to state-of-the-art patient care
In his presentation, Dr. Wakhloo drew upon the analysis he and his colleagues described in a recent research paper. He also shared his thoughts on how virtual technologies can transform the future of medical innovation with applications including resident training, telementoring/proctoring, remote live case collaboration, and global research and development.
For more information about this case, read the recent press release, Live Remote Supervision of Neuroendovascular Surgery Enabled by Olympus MedPresence
