London operation shared with Brazilian surgeons

Friday, August 31, 2012

Through an interactive audio-video broadcast surgeons in Brazil are learning leading edge surgical techniques from urologist Dr. John Denstedt, Chair/Chief of the Department of Surgery.

Throughout a recent broadcast from st. Joseph's Hospital, two live procedures were demonstrated for the Brazil team which allowed them several views of the patient, the operating room, and internal views of the surgery itself through a camera scope. The team could ask questions, adding to the real time training and collaboration.

The broadcast, done through a secure Internet cloud-based technology from InTouch Health (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) takes international teaching to the next level and is one way London surgeons are creating better access to health care across the world.

"In the future it may be possible to broadcast such sessions across an entire country by linking and networking centres. It enables experienced surgeons to mentor teams on new techniques and collaborate on complex cases while eliminating time, distance and cost barriers," says Dr. Denstedt.

Dr. Denstedt has been teaching the next generation of surgeons in London for more than 20 years. His international teaching has included several surgical courses at Chengdu China's West China Hospital and broadcasts across China.