A P R I L 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 1 9
you're missing until you see it," says Peter Kung, MD, FAAOS, a partner at
Longview (Wash.) Orthopedic Associates and chair of the Surgery Department at
St. John's Medical Center in Longview. "You see the difference immediately."
Bigger and better
With nearly 4,000 pixels (as opposed to 1,080 for high definition and 480 with
standard definition), the 4K picture isn't just much clearer, it can also be much
larger, without losing definition. "I was amazed by how much magnification it
gave me," says Dr. Uchal. "I put my instrument inside — a long grasper with a
jaw that I know is 2 inches long — and I measured the image on the screen."
The displayed jaw measured a crystal clear 29 inches, he says. "So that's nearly
15-full magnification. We used to be excited to get 10."
Another example: "My assistant put a finger through the incision," recalls Dr.
Uchal. "So his glove was inside the belly and (on the screen) his finger was big-
ger than my arm. It's really amazing."
And the image stays sharp as you change location or settings, thanks to its
sophisticated auto-focus feature. "When you want to zoom in, you don't have to
move closer to the structure," says Dr. Uchal. "Or if you've pushed the length of
the scope to its limit, there's no deterioration of the picture."
The depth of field is extraordinary, adds Dr. Kung: "Things both near and far
in your field of view remain in focus. You're looking at one giant picture and you
can see everything, including what's close to the lens and what's farther away."
You don't need to darken the OR to take advantage of 4K's brilliant clarity. "I'm
using ambient light with it in the OR," says Dr. Uchal. "The picture is so bright and
sharp, I can have all the room lights on and still see everything fine." That, he says,
helps reduce eyestrain. "The surgeon is bound to be more comfortable, because
you see better in natural light." And unlike 3D systems, the 4K screens don't
require special glasses.
Of course a camera that's technologically advanced must be bulkier and hard-
