OptiVu HDVD®: Improving Ergonomics and Visualization in
Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures
by Mike Martin for Medco Medical Newsletters

Configuration and placement of the hardware that produces Endoscopic video images during minimally invasive surgical procedures has remained surprisingly unchanged in 15 years otherwise characterized by dozens of important medical advances. Traditional CRT monitors placed on equipment carts still display most Endoscopic images in ergonomically unsound locations -- at or above the surgeon's eye level or to his or her side. This "misalignment of the visual and motor axis," as ergonomics experts term the problem, causes surgeons to look up and away -- from hands, patient, and instruments -- in order to see the surgical field.

Optimizing the surgeon's visual field is the mission of Optimize Corporation's OptiVu HDVD® (High Definition Video Display) -- a wireless, eyeglass-mounted digital imaging system that allows physicians to more comfortably visualize circumspect operating room procedures.

The OptiVu HDVD® displays high-resolution images that enhance minimally invasive surgical procedures with ergonomic comforts normally afforded to only the most lightweight optical loupes. OptiVu-equipped surgeons work in an intuitive head-down position with full peripheral vision, minus the hassles typically associated with external CRT monitors. With the OptiVu HDVD®, the surgeon's visual and motor axes are ergonomically aligned, reducing discomfort and increasing error-free productivity.

"The OptiVu is great technology because it takes a lot of the routine aches and pains out of repeated surgeries," Macon, Georgia urologist Kenneth Son explained. "You can really be hurting after a 12 hour day of neck and eye strain."

Because the OptiVu HDVD® permits simultaneous viewing of the surgeon's hands and the surgical image in a natural alignment, it is clearly the lightweight alternative to the surgical monitor.

"As far as I'm concerned, the OptiVu system eliminates the need for a CRT monitor entirely," Poughkeepsie, NY endourologist Evan Goldfischer said. "It's a state of the art system that's incredibly ergonomic and absolutely wonderful." The OptiVu HDVD® forms the "visual imaging centerpiece" of the Vassar Brothers Hospital Center for Advanced Surgery, Goldfischer, who directs the center, explained. "We almost never refer to the other monitors now," he said.

Three components -- the OptiVu base station, wireless infrared link, and lightweight OptiVu DVL® (digital video loupes) -- make watching "what you're doing during surgery like looking at a big screen television," Kenneth Son explained. "I used the OptiVu most recently during a holmium laser enucleation of the prostrate," a complicated procedure that requires intense concentration without the distraction of poor ergonomics or inadequate visual acuity.

Plug and play compatible with all medical video systems, the OptiVu base station reformats the analog video signal to a proprietary digital signal for broadcast over an infrared link. The OptiVu DVL® headset picks up this wireless signal, producing a high-resolution, full-color virtual image displayed directly in front of the surgeon.

During the prostate enucleation, "I didn't have to keep looking up and down at a monitor and at the patient," Kenneth Son explained. "I was able simply to focus on the image from the headset."

Evan Goldfischer agreed.

"I routinely use the OptiVu system for laparascopic nephrectomies and percutaneous stone extractions," he said. "I'll literally never look at either procedure the way I used to."

The principles at privately held Optimize named the firm for its mission: to optimize the surgeon's vision with devices that enable hands-free, high-resolution video, data and voice communication at the point of care. Launched in September 2001, the OptiVu HDVD® optimizes visual images for any specialist who routinely performs surgical and endoscopic procedures. The OptiVu system also meets the rigorous standards of manufacturing excellence certified under ISO 9001. Moreover, the Optimize team of dedicated professionals is "simply great to work with," according to Kenneth Son.

The medical video specialists at industry leader Stryker Endoscopy were so impressed with the OptiVu HDVD® they inked a deal with Optimize to distribute the system.

For information concerning the OptiVu HDVD® please call Optimize Corporation at 408 358 0900, Fax: 408 358 0901; Stryker Endoscopy at 800 435 0220; e-mail: cscarano@optivu.com or bolson@strykerendo.com; or visit their websites at www.optivu.com and www.strykerendo.com