Dr. Selene Parekh is a foot and ankle surgeon for Duke Medicine who spends time each year teaching doctors in India about best practices in foot and ankle surgery. With the help of Google Glass, he combined both roles into one.
While in India last month, he helped perform a surgery while wearing the device from Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), allowing the procedure to be broadcast live on the Internet. It marked one of the first surgeries worldwide to be done while Google Glass watched.
“When I learned of Google Glass, I thought there was an enormous potential to enhance patient care globally,” Parekh says. “With this technology, surgeon experts and thought leaders can be ‘brought’ into surgery to assist difficult or rare cases through every corner of the world. In addition, surgeons can provide viewers with a bird’s eye view of what is happening in the case and teach families, patients and physicians remotely.
“I think we are at the tip of the iceberg with learning how to adopt Google Glass in medicine,” he adds. “However, I am certain it will revolutionize medicine for everyone.”
Parekh sees practical applications for using Google Glass in surgery. For example, using Google Glass during operations can allow the surgeon to look at an X-ray or MRI without moving away from the patient, or could help the surgeon communicate with staff and the patient’s friends and family during surgery.