Austin Doctors Lead the Medical Community

Austin is known for being on the cutting edge in a variety of ways, and this is certainly true when it comes to the medical practice within the city.  In fact, Austin doctors are teaching other doctors around the world about an innovative new technology that allows them to perform surgery without even needing to be in the same room as their patients.

With the help of this technology, surgeons can save time by performing delicate procedures on patients without having to actually travel to where they are located.  According to KEYE TV, the Heart Hospital of Austin is one of just five hospitals in the entire world that are able to transmit live surgery to other doctors in order to help them improve their medical knowledge.  In fact, one of the hospitals doctors recently completed a surgery that he was able to broadcast to doctors in St. Louis.

Dr. Tschopp performed a complex heart surgery while located in the room next door to the patient.  As he performed the surgery, the patient was completely alone in the surgical room.  Yet, multiple doctors across the country were able to watch the surgery take place.

“Much like flying a plane, you have a lot of controls,” Dr. Tschopp said. “But now you can condense it onto this one screen so you can see everything you need to see at one time, rather than looking around at five different monitors.”

Dr. Tschopp completed the entire surgery with the help of a single screen sitting before him.  He was able to use a variety of controls and a joy stick to carefully perform the heart surgery, which he was able to do in less than two hours.  By using the new technique, doctors are actually able to speed up the surgery while also cutting down on the radiation levels they are exposed to during surgery – making it a win-win for everyone involved.