Sunderland Royal heart doctors live-stream two operations to a worldwide audience
Sunderland heart surgeons live-streamed two operations to a worldwide audience last week.
The cardiology team at Sunderland Royal Hospital carried out a treatment called "percutaneous coronary intervention" on two patients and, with their permission, beamed live footage to a conference in London and online to watchers around the world. This was part of the Advanced Cardiovascular Intervention conference, which is the UK's largest event for those in the field.
The operation is used to treat narrowed arteries in the heart, which can lead to heart attacks and angina. The work was led by consultant Dr Nick Jenkins. He said: "This is the first time we’ve been invited to take part. It’s a real cause for celebration for the team and our Trust.
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"This is significant national recognition of the high-quality service delivered at STSFT. It is a testament to the skills and commitment of the team. As well as the stream being shown to the conference, we also opened it up to our colleagues so they can see the work we do every day in our Cath Lab.
"They could follow it in real time, but can also watch it back when they are able to. We must thank the patients who agreed to have their experiences filmed for the conferences and the wider team and crew for all the work which went into making it possible."
The hospitals Cath Labs - catheter laboratories - are examination rooms with imaging tools that help support complex procedures including on the heart. Dr Jenkins added: "Sharing our knowledge and expertise is vital to help each other in our work. Every day we carry out procedures that save lives, but also improve people’s wellbeing and quality of life.
"We were proud to showcase what we do and hope others learned from it so they too can make a difference.”
After the event, President of the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society, David Hildick-Smith praised those involved. He said: “Thanks so much for hosting both cases. Great job from both labs. Professional, methodical, measured, careful. Super education. Really well done to your whole team!"