Posts Tagged ‘telemedicine’
Ahead of Print: Point-of-Care Programming for Neuromodulation
Background: The expansion of neuromodulation and its indications has resulted in hundreds of thousands of patients implanted with devices worldwide. As all patients require programming, this growth has created a heavy burden on neuromodulation centers and patients. Remote point-of-care programming may provide patients with real-time access to neuromodulation expertise in their communities.
Objective: To test the feasibility of remotely programming a neuromodulation device using a remote presence robot, and to determine the ability of an expert programmer to telementor a non-expert in programming the device.
Methods: A remote presence robot (RP-7, In Touch Health Inc., Santa Barbara, CA) was used for remote programming. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to either conventional programming or a robotic session. The expert remotely mentored ten nurses, with no previous experience, to program the devices of patients assigned to the remote presence sessions. Accuracy of programming, adverse events, and satisfaction scores for all participants were assessed.
Editor Choice: Virtual Interactive Presence and Augmented Reality (VIPAR) for Remote Surgical Assistance
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BACKGROUND: Surgery is a highly technical field that combines continuous decision-making with the coordination of spatiovisual tasks.
OBJECTIVE: We designed a virtual interactive presence and augmented reality (VIPAR) platform that allows a remote surgeon to deliver real-time virtual assistance to a local surgeon, over a standard Internet connection.
METHODS: The VIPAR system consisted of a “local” and a “remote” station, each situated over a surgical field and a blue screen, respectively. Each station was equipped with a digital viewpiece, composed of 2 cameras for stereoscopic capture, and a high-definition viewer displaying a virtual field. The virtual field was created by digitally compositing selected elements within the remote field into the local field. The viewpieces were controlled by workstations mutually connected by the Internet, allowing virtual remote interaction in real time. Digital renderings derived from volumetric MRI were added to the virtual field to augment the surgeon’s reality. For demonstration, a fixed-formalin cadaver head and neck were obtained, and a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and pterional craniotomy were performed under the VIPAR system. Read the rest of this entry »
Editor Choice: Telemedicine Through the Use of Digital Cell Phone Technology in Pediatric Neurosurgery: A Case Series
Pirris, Stephen M. MD; Monaco, Edward A. III MD, PhD; Tyler-Kabara, Elizabeth C. MD, PhD
BACKGROUND: Advances in medicine have largely followed advances in technology. Medical strides have been made when physicians and researchers have adapted growing science to target specific problems. A new medical field, telemedicine, has emerged that links physicians with colleagues and patients. Cell phone technology is affordable for almost everyone, and basic models include digital photography.
OBJECTIVE: We present a case series exhibiting the utility of digital pictures taken with patients’ cell phones.
CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Our patients had wound infections requiring daily intravenous antibiotics and dressing changes. In years past, these patients would have required prolonged hospitalizations. In the era of managed care, patients with these infections are discharged from the hospital, but close outpatient observation is required to monitor the wound. Our patients lived up to 8 hours away from the hospital. Daily appointments for wound checks in the clinic were not practical. Wounds were thus monitored via cell phone images without the inconvenience of travel and the expense of staying in a local hotel, along with leaving appointments in the clinic available for others with new neurosurgical issues.
Free Article: Telemedicine Through the Use of Digital Cell Phone Technology in Pediatric Neurosurgery: A Case Series
Pirris, Stephen M. MD; Monaco, Edward A. III MD, PhD; Tyler-Kabara, Elizabeth C. MD, PhD
BACKGROUND: Advances in medicine have largely followed advances in technology. Medical strides have been made when physicians and researchers have adapted growing science to target specific problems. A new medical field, telemedicine, has emerged that links physicians with colleagues and patients. Cell phone technology is affordable for almost everyone, and basic models include digital photography.
OBJECTIVE: We present a case series exhibiting the utility of digital pictures taken with patients’ cell phones.
