09/18/2013, 00.00
INDIA
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Google Glass arrive in Indian operating rooms

A gastroenterologist performs laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery and hernia repair in Chennai. The glass could prove useful in India's remote areas so that rural doctors can be 'monitored and tech-assisted'.

Chennai (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Dr J S Rajkumar became the third doctor in the world to use Google Glass in two surgeries. A gastroenterologist and chief surgeon at Lifeline Rigid Hospital, Dr Rajkumar used the augmented reality glass in an upper gastro-intestinal laparoscopy procedure on a 45-year-old man and a hernia repair on a 42-year-old woman. Google glass was used only twice before, in the United States.

Google Glass is a wearable computer that works like a hands-free smartphone, moving with commands from the users eyes and head movements.

The glass has proved useful in the operating room for its ability to capture and transmit in real time what surgeons are doing, giving medical students an opportunity to learn "through" the eyes of their teacher.

However, there is a lot more to it than just streaming live surgeries to students and teaching them, Rajkumar said.

"During surgery, we may need to use an alternate method, and it is unlikely that we will remember all the steps. With this, we can access any medical text and brush up on the missing steps and keep going."

And there is more. In a country like India, where the accessibility to medical facilities varies from region to region, a tool like the Google Glass can be very useful.

For the gastroenterologist, rural doctors in remote areas can be 'monitored and tech-assisted' if a senior surgeon is watching the live surgery and guiding the operator in real time.

For now, Google Goggles are not yet for sale in the market, but are ​​available to experts and professionals like doctors to assess their actual usability.

"We did face some practical glitches like problems with Wi-Fi and the battery dying early," Dr Rajkumar said.

Nevertheless, even though the Wi-Fi occasionally crashed and the Glass battery ran out after 40 minutes, the doctor is "sure these issues can be worked over fairly quickly."

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