Platform Significantly Reduces Travel as a
Barrier to Patient Care
MONTREAL, June 21, 2021 /CNW/ - The Jewish General Hospital
(JGH), a member facility of the West-Central Montreal Health
Authority (CIUSSS), together with Auger Groupe Conseil Inc. (AGC)
and Medtronic Canada ULC ― a subsidiary of Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT)
― have pioneered the first application of the Microsoft HoloLens
for use in real-time, extended reality (XR) clinical support of a
minimally invasive heart procedure.
On March 15th, 2021,
this novel partnership completed the first end-to-end remotely
guided transcatheter aortic valve implant/replacement (TAVI/TAVR) –
a minimally invasive procedure to replace a heart valve. Dr. Sam
Radhakrishnan, the proctor or teaching specialist in Toronto, was able to remotely guide the JGH
TAVI team of Dr. Ali Abualsaud,
Dr. Nathan Messas, and Dr.
Emmanuel Moss through the procedure
in real time at the JGH in Montreal, using the intra-operative extended
reality platform. It is comprised of three key elements:
- The Microsoft HoloLens 2, a headset which enables bidirectional
remote viewing in real time. The use of extended reality headsets
and glasses has grown during the pandemic because of the
limitations on travel to and within a hospital.
- A modular system that allows the remote proctor to view the
cardiac event monitors in real-time, without requiring the active
clinician wearing the HoloLens 2 to look up at the screens.
- A three-dimensional clinical pathway overlay depicting
step-by-step instructions for a specific surgical procedure.
"We think of it as bringing the operating room to the surgical
specialist. Rather than coordinating resources to bring a
specialist to another hospital for training, now we can greatly
simplify the process, which can help improve the timeliness of
patient care, especially in an emergency," said Dr. Lawrence Rudski, director of the Azrieli Heart
Center. "There are significant advantages to using a real-time,
extended-reality system for both the proctor and the clinician on
the receiving end, such as having the same view – which is almost
better than being in the same, often crowded, room. In addition,
this platform has the flexibility to be expanded to many other
types of procedures."
During the initial peak of the pandemic in spring 2020, the JGH
was designated as a lead COVID-19 treatment site. The ensuing
staffing challenges, combined with travel restrictions, required
effective and remote training solutions. In collaboration with
Quebec engineering firm AGC, the
JGH piloted the use of the Microsoft HoloLens to help train and
redeploy staff.
"We chose to work with Microsoft mainly because of the HoloLens
2's unmatched performance and in part because of the security
offered by their encryption design," said Marcel Lafontaine, CEO of AGC. "We are very
proud of our work in combining the mixed reality experience of
voice, video and a 3D overlay with no lag time. This is a unique
plug-and-play solution, and we're very excited to see it deployed
in such an impactful way for clinicians, and ultimately for
patients."
The initial success of this project led to developing remote
support in a complex clinical pathway and connectivity to medical
imaging with the help of leading medical device company
Medtronic.
"We are thrilled to be able to contribute our expertise to this
unique partnership and are looking forward to seeing this
collaboration extend to other clinical pathways," said Richard
Paré, regional business director of the CardioVascular Portfolio at
Medtronic Canada. "This innovative platform can enable health
systems to optimize surgical resources and scheduling, while
protecting staff, during the pandemic but also afterwards as they
shift their focus to addressing the surgical backlog."
The partnership is currently planning additional applications in
the field of cardiovascular medicine and in other areas.
This project is supported by OROT Innovation Hub at the
JGH.
Microsoft and HoloLens are trademarks of the Microsoft group of
companies.
About CIUSSS West-Central Montreal
The
Integrated Health and Social Services University Network for
West-Central Montreal (CIUSSS West-Central Montreal) is committed
to providing healthcare recipients with timely access to a seamless
continuum of care that focuses on individuals' particular
needs.
The area covered by this network is home to approximately
345,000 people, who are served by more than 30 member facilities.
Included are one of Montreal's
leading hospitals (the Jewish General Hospital) and an interlocking
array of three specialized hospitals, five CLSCs, two
rehabilitation centres, six long-term care sites, two-day centres
and several affiliated research facilities.
Treatment and care are provided by a staff of more than 12,000,
and over 600 doctors.
About Auger Groupe Conseil Inc.
https://www.augergroupe.com/en/augmented-reality
Founded in 1985, Auger Groupe Conseil consists of engineers and IT
experts with a focus on the industrial and medical sectors. This
includes expertise in Microsoft business & development
partnerships, mixed reality platforms such as VR / AR / XR, and
Artificial Intelligence. AGC is based in Canada, with teams in the USA and Spain.
About Medtronic Canada ULC
Proudly serving Canadian
healthcare for over 50 years, Medtronic Canada ULC
(www.medtronic.ca) is a subsidiary of Medtronic plc, the world's
largest medical technology, services, and solutions company —
alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions
of people around the world. Serving physicians, hospitals, and
patients across the country, Medtronic Canada ULC is headquartered
in Brampton, Ontario, with
regional offices in Montreal and
Vancouver. The company is focused
on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take
healthcare Further, Together.
Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic
reports on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Actual results may differ materially from anticipated
results.
SOURCE Medtronic Canada ULC