Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/1316512
Y our surgeons can spend hours poring over data about what they need to do to ensure a superior surgical out- come, but when they actually go into the OR to operate, the crystal-clear resolution of the right surgical video system that allows them to better visualize tissue and the depth of color in the blood becomes a critical fac- tor in their decision-making. In order to get the most out of a video system for your facility's clinical needs, you need to know what factors to consider during an upgrade. Let's take a look at all the critical components of a surgical video system to help you decide. Visualization capabilities For most minimally invasive procedures, the opti- mal visual path requires superior resolution along the entire imaging chain, from the camera at the tip of the scope to the monitor that shows the captured images. When trialing a new video sys- tem, make sure each component is capable of transmitting or displaying 4K ultra-high-definition video, so the images captured by the camera in the surgical field are what surgeons actually see on monitors. Dynamic response is a useful feature found on some of the latest imaging platforms. This feature automatically brightens or dims light while the sur- geon is navigating within the surgical cavity. Dynamic response is similar to the technology that automatically lowers a car's high beam headlights when another car comes into view. Surgeons benefit from dynamic response on their scopes' cameras because too much light reflection can create a blind- ing effect. On the flip side, dynamic response auto- matically brightens the surgeon's view if there's too much darkness within the surgical cavity to properly navigate or identity critical structures. Image management Another key consideration when upgrading your video system is what type of editing, retrieval and storage capabilities are needed. Surgeons working in academic teaching institutions have vastly differ- ent requirements than those who operate in free- standing ASCs. But even surgeons in non-academic settings might want to use captured images for con- ference presentations or to create educational videos for other providers. Determine how important video capture and storage are to your surgeons. One terabyte of stor- age capacity is generally a good starting point with 4K systems, although be prepared to expand that capacity in the future. Consider picture archiving communication systems (PACS) as an example of where we're likely headed with 4K image manage- ment. Remember when PACS was first introduced? 4 4 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 Thinking About a Surgical Video Upgrade? Visualization, image management and integration capabilities are key factors to consider. IN FULL VIEW The resolution of your video system must be clear enough for surgeons to easily determine if they should cut or ablate the tissue in their line of sight. Suraj Soudagar, MS, MBA, LEED AP | Naperville, Ill. University of Massachusetts Medical School