The Rods&Cones remote assistance service has been used by AVANA Surgical Systems– a market leader in India’s Orthopedic industry since 2009 – to host its first surgery webinar at Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai (GGHC).
Showcasing the latest surgical procedures using spinal endoscopy technology from German medtech, Riwospine, this first-of-its-kind event has been hailed as a groundbreaking milestone for medical education in India.
Here’s how the Rods&Cones service transformed the medical educational experience and how it helps medtech companies to put new products in front of larger audiences, more frequently.
“This innovative approach allowed us to transmit live operative images seamlessly, without the hassle of tons of audiovisual equipment.”
– Swadharma Vyas, Medical Education Manager, AVANA Surgical Systems
Easily set up live-streaming events in sterile environments
For AVANA Surgical Systems’s Director, Vivekananda Mani, education around new orthopedic medical devices is a key contributor to the company’s ongoing success – 30% revenue growth every year since the company was founded. Live surgery events are an important part of increasing awareness and adoption, attracting top talent to take up innovative therapies using the latest products.
‘Unlocking A New Dimension Of Learning With Rods&Cones’ was a Continuing Medical Education (CME) event with over 50 participants. Led by Medical Education Manager, Swadharma Vyas, and Consultant Spine Surgeon, Dr. Pramod Lokhande, AVANA Surgical Systems seamlessly transmitted live full endoscopic spine surgeries from the Operating Room (OR) to medical professionals in a hospital conference room.
Dr. Pramod Lokhande wearing the visOR
smart glasses during surgery
In the past, setting up a live surgery event like this relied on bulky technology – 4 or 5 video cameras and the installation of long cables running between the OR and the conference room located 300 meters away. That required both a lot of time and multiple technicians. Not only was this time-consuming and costly to set up, but it also impacted the sterility of the environment and the space available for OR teams to operate. Naturally, this generated some hesitancy – and even objection – around the use of a wired set-up.
Thankfully, technology has moved on. A Rods&Cones Kit comes in one briefcase-size box, and it takes minutes – as opposed to hours or days – to set up the equipment. It’s designed for use wirelessly inside a sterile environment, so there are no cables running to and from the OR.
“Rod&Cones is a great technology because it offers multiple uses. For webinars, the clarity, the high-resolution images, and two-way communication are easily moderated.”
– Vivekananda Mani, Director, AVANA Surgical Systems
Second left: Dr. Lokhande, far right: Swadharma Vyas, Avana surgical, with OR Team members after broadcasting live surgery
Give more people a better view of surgical procedures
Increasing therapy education and adoption is an important part of what AVANA Surgical Systems does as a company. First, they need to market products to create awareness. Second, they need to increase adoption, supporting the learning curve through education and training.
Getting new medical devices and the accompanying surgical procedures in front of a large audience can be a challenge. But thanks to Rods&Cones’ secure remote communication platform, it’s possible to transmit live surgery to other locations from a conference room in the same hospital to other healthcare facilities around the world – immediately increasing audience numbers.
The other problem with setting up live surgical events using footage from video cameras and cables is that it doesn’t produce a surgeon’s-eye-view of the proceedings. Contrast that with the Rods&Cones MIS Kit, and attendees at the event in Chennai were virtually transported into the operating room, witnessing surgeries and procedures in real-time, from the surgeon’s perspective, all while comfortably seated in the conference room.
The people present included trainees and practicing surgeons looking to improve their skill level. Watching on a big screen, the attendees could see 4 to 5 different views at any one time, and not just what a camera operator chose to focus on at any given time. Views were controlled from inside the conference room, so viewers had flexibility over the visuals.
Remote view of the live surgery
procedure hosted by Avana Surgical
AVANA Surgical Systems has a long history of supplying innovative technologies, treatments, and solutions to enable healthcare providers to deliver high-quality, cost-effective patient care. Much of this success comes down to medical education. Now Rod&Cones technology has enabled them to innovate in this area as well.
Discover more about the Rods&Cones MIS Kit.
Visit AVANA Surgical Systems at www.avanasurgical.com
