Looking
ahead
Ultra-high-def
laparoscopes
now come in a
5 mm size, a
reduction from
the larger 10
mm option, that
allows surgeons
to operate
through smaller incisions. Smaller isn't always better, however.
Downsized images on scopes with inferior light sources could appear
dark and dull. That's wasn't the case with Ascension's 4K system. In
fact, some of the general surgeons have commented that 5 mm scopes
are almost comparable to the 10 mm models, says Mr. Kaczmarek.
Now they're able to use the smaller scope on more procedures involv-
ing smaller incisions, he adds.
Many imagining systems are also integrated to improve workflow in
your facility. "Our video images are integrated into one big system,"
says Mr. Kaczmarek. "It allows us to do CT scans, X-rays, MRIs and
real-time ultrasound, and pipe that imaging to any of the screens in
our ORs, so those crisp 4K images and video are right in front of our
physicians as well as nurses and other staff."
While many facilities have yet to make the switch to 4K, there's
already talk of the surgical application of 8K technology's 7680 x 4320-
pixel matrix. And rightfully so. Research shows this emerging technol-
ogy could help surgeons perform complex, minimally invasive proce-
dures (osmag.net/Q4FnBx).
When Ascension upgraded to 4K in 2019, it positioned itself for the
2 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0
"What we can do as
surgeons largely
depends on how
well we see the
surgical field."
— Rohit Soans, MD
