Today’s operating rooms are very complex environments with different kinds of equipments and systems gathering, such as endoscopy cameras, surgical displays, patient monitoring systems, C-arms, and so on. Different devices from different manufacturers have their distinct formats of input / output signals also operating systems.
To run the surgery more efficiently, you’ll need a solution to integrate all devices in the nowadays digital ORs. We developed integration systems for integrating all kinds of signal sources to improve operating room efficiency. The system pulls information from wherever it is located and shares it over the network with whomever needs it, whether inside or outside the OR by an easy interface.
MediCORe Integration System
The video-over-IP platform based, MediCORe Integration System, which stands out for its precise image and maximum flexibility by a central IP hub, providing an easy maintenance network. The IP backbone distributes the video and audio without latency and without compression, which is very important to ensure perfect eye-hand coordination for surgeons and facilitate peer-to-peer consultation for the second opinion.
Case in Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Better process for optimized OR capacity use
In August 2017, the first MediCORe was applied to Taiwan’s first-class medical center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH), assisted the annual “APAC Advanced Hip & Knee Live Surgery Course.”
“We need a steady system that plays image and sound clear.” said Chief Physician Chen in TVGH. Before our system was deployed, they had applied one-on-one video teleconferencing as an in-time teaching platform. However, the quality of audio and video depended on the distributed internet speed that often caused out-of-sync and sometimes even missed connection.
But with MediCORe, the unpredicted problem was solved and has saved more time, preparation, and changeover processes.
The layout of cable engineering planning at Taipei Veterans General Hospital
The IP-based solution realizes a plug-and-play environment on extra integrated internet, which precludes interference from others using network bandwidth and promises high and steady quality.
Moreover, the central control is set beside the main speaker in the auditorium that allows switching channels between PTZ cameras and cameras integrated into surgical lights from the separate ORs. This means all perspectives and shared screens are under timely control.
The APAC conference with live streaming knee replacement surgery by MediCORe connecting the meeting room and the OR (top)
The live image screenshot from the PTZ camera demonstrating the overall surgery group condition (bottom-left)
The live image from the PTZ camera demonstrating a real time picture from the meeting room (bottom -right)
The framework of MediCORe’s large scale cable engineering at Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
Well connected within and beyond the OR
To satisfy the conference need and academic usage at the university hospital, MediCORe provides images streamed in real-time at 4K end-to-end quality. The distributions have no delay on bi-directional inter-room communication, which means the access to the operating room could be expanded and made interactive education and training easy. Also, the recording is possible for documentation purposes and clinical research.
The well-integrated operation rooms with Mediland’s suspended OR solutions (left) in Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
The meeting room with 165 inches monitor could display up to six images simultaneously from separate sources without latency
Easy to manage
The hospital keeps every surgery in records and saves important still image screenshots from the video sequences to PACS daily. Nancy Chiang, the nurse in CHCMU had praised “The system makes no difference to my daily workload.” Working with MediCORe, no additional task is created for the medical staff or the IT departments. Even though the meeting calls out occasionally, the user-friendly interface makes individual users easy to get used to it.
The suspended 4K cameras, neurosurgical microscopes, DSA, 3D laparoscopy, PACS data, surgical displays… are integrated on MediCORe control panel (left)
Building on a non-proprietary IP technology platform, MediCORe suits for any new technology (e.g. 4K and 3D) as soon as the product upgrade.
To summarize, MediCORe provides surgery team members and professions superior seamless audiovisual experience. There would be fewer distractions for operating more facilities with the single platform, eliminating boundaries among machines and physical spaces, providing direct access to equipment and data.
