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Scores of doctors from across Europe have witnessed a leading NHS cardiothoracic surgeon perform a valve operation live with the use of interactive conferencing equipment.
More than 40 other leading surgeons from Europe and around the world linked up to watch and discuss the valve reparation with Mr Prakash Punjabi, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The medical conferencing equipment, from MultiSense Communications, uses polycom high-definition technology to provide high quality video and audio in each room, enabling the teams to clearly see and hear each other.
Mr Punjabi explains: “The HD video conferencing equipment allows detailed discussions of patient cases and the decision on treatment pathways – in this particular case, a technically challenging valve reparation as opposed to the more typical valve replacement procedure. We’re pioneering this technique to spread the word and to educate not only other surgeons but also patients that such repairs are now available.
“This is an excellent illustration of the use of modern technology to provide advanced surgical training and techniques which is enabling us to provide the best treatment to patients across the NHS.”
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