The UK’s first remotely-supported transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using smart glasses for remote guidance has been performed at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC) at Basildon Hospital.
During the procedure, nurses who were wearing the smart glasses are guided remotely through a complex multi-step procedure by experts seeing exactly what they see. The glasses enable heart staff to receive real-time advice from anywhere in the world as they share a live feed from the operating theatre through a high-resolution camera on the smart glasses.
Previously, staff were advised by a clinical expert from Boston Scientific present in the operating theatre, but they can now be remotely guided by the expert via the smart glasses from anywhere in the world, helping save time for patients and staff.
Rohan Jagathesan, medical director at the Essex CTC, said: “This new innovative equipment allows us to be more independent and to carry out more procedures, and means we can treat patients more quickly as we do not need a specialist to come to the hospital.
“We can also use the smart glasses to train our staff during a simulated procedure and further develop their skills, helping to improve the service we give to our patients.”
Olivier Lonbois, vice president interventional cardiology and structural heart at Boston Scientific, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide our ExpertLink support to the team at the Essex CTC and the wider cardiology community. It is exciting to be able to provide clinical support using novel technologies that open up more options for NHS hospitals undertaking these types of specialist procedures.”
