[May 23, 2013] Karolinska University Hospital to Leverage Polycom Video Collaboration Technology Tweet May 23, 2013 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Polycom, Inc., a provider of open, standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), said that the Innovation Centre at Karolinska University Hospital Sweden has launched a surgery program that makes use of video collaboration technology from Polycom. Using Polycom RealPresence video collaboration solutions to view live video, Polycom said that researchers at the Karolinska Insitutet, the medical university can now provide remote mentoring for surgeries during operations at other hospitals - potentially anywhere in the world. These live sessions serve as invaluable real-time training. Experienced endoscopists at the Karolinska University Hospital perform more than 800 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures annually. ERCP involves cannulation (entering) of the papilla duct and is used primarily to diagnose and treat conditions of the bile ducts and main pancreatic duct, including gallstones, inflammatory strictures (scars), leaks (from trauma and surgery), and cancer. Polycom said that the Karolinska Institutet accounts for over 40 percent of the medical academic research conducted in Sweden. Research from numerous studies revealed that remote mentoring from high-volume ERCP centers with high cannulation success rates (entering the desired duct) will allow local hospitals with less experience (due to a low volume of ERCP procedures) to offer similar treatments and interventions that benefit both patients and healthcare providers. The cannulation of a "virgin" papilla remains the most difficult step in ERCP and the ERCP procedure fails without selective cannulation of the desired duct. The Innovation Centre at Karolinska University has established a telemedicine development unit which designed the program as a way to help improve the skills and confidence of the surgeons in the regional hospitals throughout Sweden, while providing the highest quality patient care via access to scarce expertise. "Providing patients in remote rural areas the same quality healthcare as urban areas is a challenge. The video supported ERCP project addresses this challenge using innovative video technology from Polycom," said Kristina Groth, Associate professor at MID/CSC/KTH responsible for telemedicine development at the Innovation Centre at Karolinska University Hospital. "Our telemedicine systems have reached the level where connecting and collaborating with remote surgeons over video is part of an informal daily, routine practice. This is important not only when optimizing professional results, but also when patient safety aspects, related legal issues, and data security dimensions are considered." ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]