Surgery Goes High Tech

A new state-of-the-art video-conferencing system has been showcased at St. Joseph's hospital and medical center in Phoenix, Arizona. "MedPresence," a $1.1 million system, may assist with the training of new health care providers, allow for new treatments to be given to people residing in rural areas, and offers real time assessment of various medical devices at a distance. "The system uses powerful microscopes to let viewers see an operation as surgeons see it. The images, 10 to 15 times as large as actual size, can be beamed into a conference room or sent to portable displays anywhere in the world." This new system provides education for many students living all over the world and ultimately offers improved health care for many people.