Big Screen Surgery is here –
What does it mean for you?
While overall TV set sales are slightly down in the U.S., the sale of big screen monitors (as in 50 inches or more) is up. Way up, to the tune of 10% in 2015, according to an article in The Washington Post. Those statistics really shouldn’t be surprising. After more than a decade trying to make everything pocket size, people are realizing bigger is better when it comes to an enjoyable viewing experience.
While we’ve gotten used to seeing our personal digital worlds with crystal clear clarity, the business world is a step behind in the 4K technology migration.
“Businesses spend countless hours trying to figure out how to improve the productivity of their workers … Yet, there's one thing that literally stares us in the face and doesn't receive the attention it should: your computer monitor.” Desire Athow, Here’s why every office worker deserves a 4K monitor. Techradar.pro
The surgery suite is no exception. If you’re like us, you’re probably pondering why you can stream Friends on a screen so large and clear at home that it feels like the cast is sitting in your living room, and then walk into your surgery suite the next morning to do a gallbladder removal jammed around a 26-inch monitor with your surgical team.
Here’s three things to keep in mind as you press your bigger-is-better case to upgrade your operating suite:
1) Size. Yes, it matters.
Not only the size of the monitor, but the breadth of the system too. A 4K surgical imaging system optimizes light, color and resolution. The result is four times the resolution, two times the color range, and clearer images in all light conditions compared to HD systems. With 4K inundating the consumer electronics market, you can expect HD in the OR to rapidly go the way of the flip phone.
2) Clarity close up.
Remember having to sit well back from a large screen so that it wasn’t blurry? No more. With 4K, viewing distance is not limited by resolution or image quality, but instead by the periphery of the human eye. That means 4K users can view high quality images on larger screens really close up—a distance roughly equal to the size of the display. Some surgeons say the 4K viewing experience feels like actually being inside the abdomen … but less messy.
3) Fit. Big is better.
Granted, the OR can get pretty cramped with multiple surgical platforms and a large operating staff. But migrating to big screen surgery can actually give you more room in the OR, not less. The 55-inch monitor can replace all the other secondary monitors in your OR. One screen. Same viewing experience for the entire team. The monitor can also be rotated vertically for easier transport or mounted on an overhead boom to eliminate clutter.
