Among future developments he has envisaged, Ahmed said he was keen to add graphics to the raw footage to provide additional information during the operation, as well as taking questions from those viewing the procedure. Two years ago he streamed a live operation using the “augmented reality” system, Google Glass, allowing viewers to see the procedure from a surgeon’s point of view.īut the new 360-degree video, Ahmed said, offered a new approach, allowing users to see beyond what the surgeon was looking at. He co-founded the healthcare company Medical Realities, which streamed the operation in partnership with Barts Health and 360-degree video experts Mativision.Īhmed said he believes virtual reality, augmented reality and games could all play a role in training medical students. It was not the first time Ahmed had led the way in embracing modern technology in healthcare. A bundle that I assume is the tumour is removed and dropped into a bowl. Suddenly the entire theatre goes dark, except for a spotlight. Despite my loathing of all medical TV dramas, I am hooked. Frustratingly, 360-degree video is just that – you can look around the room in every direction, but you can’t move for a better view. It looks like they are fishing about in a swamp of slimy undercooked sausages: I suspect a medical student would glean rather more. “It is a good video and wide broadcast with interactive ,” he said, stressing that the operation itself was real rather than virtual.īack in the virtual world, there is a slight hitch – the quality of the video on my phone is good, but not good enough to see the video screen clearly. “If this technology allows the transfer of knowledge and skills a wider range and in an easier way that would be very beneficial,” he said.īut he was quick to add that, compared with existing approaches for sharing scenes from the operating theatre, the new technology offered more of an upgrade than a revolution. George Hanna, professor of surgical sciences at Imperial College, London was cautiously optimistic about the benefits of the approach. The technology, he has argued, brings a valuable new feature to education, allowing viewers to focus not just on what the surgeon is doing, but also on what other members of the team are up to: “There will be noise, there will be the immersive factor – so that will add different layers of educational value.” While videos showcasing surgical procedures have been around for years, Ahmed believes the new approach is more than a mere gimmick. “This is what cancer looks like in reality.” ![]() “There is a tumour just here,” says Ahmed. “OK let’s have a look, here we go,” says Ahmed.įortunately the app boots up. Two large screens on either side of the table show views from the camera inside the patient – a device that resembles an enormous knitting needle. Peering down I spot some odd-looking scissors I hope no one will ever use on me. “This is called a harmonic scalpel,” he says as he gets to work.Ī hush descends, punctured only by beeping. The lights are dimmed and, wielding an intimidating device, Ahmed begins to remove a hernia. It takes a while to get the app up and running so while I wait for the VR experience to start I watch the procedure begin via the website. Those who did not have a headset could watch the feed live online. Shot using two 360-degree cameras and a number of lenses arranged around the theatre, the operation could be viewed through the “VR in OR” app, using a virtual reality headset that can be paired with a smartphone. With internet connections becoming better, smartphones getting cheaper and only a pair of lenses and some cardboard needed to make a virtual reality headset, the costs, he said, paled in comparison to the expense of students travelling abroad to train. ![]() A one-minute delay was incorporated into the broadcast in case of any complications in the surgery.Ī cancer surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, Ahmed said before the operation that he believed the approach could make healthcare more equitable, improving the training of surgeons worldwide. On Thursday afternoon I witnessed the world’s first operation to be streamed live in 360-degree video, allowing medical students, trainee surgeons and curious members of the public like me to immerse themselves in the procedure in real time via the Medical Realities website.
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