The Surgeon´s Global Perspective - Getting the whole picture

Important results from the project

We want to create a complete 3D image database of cardiac surgery. It can be used immediately for education and knowledge exchange, and in the future (big data) be used for the development of smart surgical systems with artificial intelligence and robotics. To achieve this, we need to work globally, because both incidence of different heart defects and the economical and practical conditions for cardiac surgery differs between low- and middle-income and high-income countries. Unique conditions at participating centers mean that everyone is needed and can contribute equally.

Expected long term effects

Surgical procedures for common and rare heart defects that never before been documented in 3D format, will be collected in a database that can be shared globally. "State of the art" solutions used at rich centers as well as "smart" solutions used at poorer centers can be made accessible. We can learn from each other. What is unusual and complicated for one center may be routine for the other. The outcome in the short-term is a leveled and improved knowledge base, and in the long-term with the development of autonomous robotic surgical systems (adapted for global needs) equal access to care.

Approach and implementation

We have worked with two centers with widely different disease panoramas and conditions for performing cardiac surgery: Kampala (Uganda) and London (England). Surgeons from these centers have visited Lund to evaluate the technical installation of the camera-OR-light installation and the user interface. We have visited these centers to investigate on-site the physical conditions for installation. Through these physical and additional video conferences, we have gained a better mutual understanding of the project´s challenges and also agreed on how to tackle them.