Canada Anaesthesiologists put patient to sleep via video

Citation

(2011), "Canada Anaesthesiologists put patient to sleep via video", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 24 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2011.06224aab.002

Canada Anaesthesiologists put patient to sleep via video

Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 24, Issue 1

Keywords: Anaesthesiology, Patient care, Health education

Anaesthesiologists working in Montreal achieved what they say is a world first when they recently used video conferencing to put to sleep a surgical patient in Italy.

With four strategically placed video cameras helping them monitor the patient, the McGill University anaesthesiologists administered intravenous drugs, the university announced.

The cameras fed real-time information from Pisa, Italy, to the Montreal team about the patient’s breathing rate and vital signs. They also provided live images of the surgery.

Medical staff in Pisa inserted the intravenous feed but the drugs were administered remotely.

“The practice has obvious applications in countries with a significant number of people living in remote areas, like Canada, where specialists may not be available on site,” McGill anaesthesiologist Thomas Hemmerling said in a news release. “It could also be used for teaching purposes, allowing the resident to perform tasks without the physical presence of a tutor, thus increasing his or her confidence level.”

The setup – dubbed McSleepy – includes a remote computer station, called the “anaesthesia cockpit” to handle the audio-video link between two centres.

“Obviously, local anaesthesiologists can override the process at any time,” Hemmerling said.

While the system is still in the prototype stage, the McGill researchers say they can also see it being used someday to give at-home preoperative assessments to patients living in remote places.

Many patients must make long journeys and often wait hours to see an anaesthesiologist for preoperative assessments. Video conferencing could reduce the stress patients feel when they come into hospital before surgery, the researchers say.

For more information: www.cbc.ca