4K displays, while becoming more commonplace in television and cinema, are now coming to the operating room!
The term 4k refers to a display having a horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 pixels, resulting in four times the resolution of high definition (HD).
In the Operating Room, there is a move towards minimally-invasive surgery, at least in selected, more routine procedures. There are clearly benefits to patients and healthcare systems from this type of surgery, but it means that surgeons are, to an extent, subject to limited vision due to their reliance on laparoscopic cameras.
In modern surgical imaging applications, the potential benefits of all this extra resolution are exciting. Captured with a 4K camera, fine structures can be identified with greater precision, offering surgeons a clearer picture during open surgery or minimally invasive procedures.
4K’s increased detail gives clinicians greater options in the Operating Room. Images captured at 4K resolution with a surgical endoscope can be cropped or zoomed for a close-up view while maintaining Full HD resolution. A single 4K monitor can ‘tile’ multiple images from surgical cameras, vital signs and other sources, providing an informative overview for surgeons and Operating Room staff.