RED in the operating room!?

[Wade McDonald]

Hey guys --

Saw this on slashdot today --

http://docinthemachine.com/2009/10/22/first4klaparoscop/

Apparently the very first 4k laproscopic surgery... and if you look carefully -- it's a RED.

So, the question is... whose? I'd be interested to know what kind of procedures and equipment adaptations needed to be made for the cam to be allowed in a sterile environment... not to mention i'm impressed by the optical adaptation!

I'm booked on a pediatric craniofacial surgery doc in a couple of months, and would love to pick your brain.

Anyone else use REDs for medical documentaries and have any tips?

Wade

 

[Babu Kantamneni]

Wade,
If you a long lens with macro capabilities you dont need anything else other than changing into OR attire!
Babu,MD

 

[Martin Weiss]

See here:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=36644

 

[Babu Kantamneni]

Clarification:
Shooting a documentary Vs.integrating camera into operating equipment and used to perform surgery.
Dr.Palter was doing the later.
BabuMD

 

[Kwan Khan]

wow.....

 

[Steven Palter MD]

Wade- I am the surgeon who performed the surgery with th Red One attached to an endoscope. 18 mos ago we did a room cam tripod shot as a proof of concept. If you want to be in the OR on a tripod each hospital has a very standard medical photography policy that's all worked out already. You don't need to be sterile just a bit away from the patient. The biggest problem is lighting since the surgical spotlight makes a hot spot surrounded by darker areas so exposure is always tricky. Ask the surgeon to work with room lights on if possible (we often shut them) and ask them to put the spotlights on wide rather than tight patterns (they are adjustable).

If you are asking about coupling to a microscope or an endoscope that's a whole different animal! This took us 2 years to plan and a half dozen medical and film collaborators. The camera needs stablization and can't be handheld due to magnification of shake (we needed a 4 ft jib) and the couplers do not exist out of the box and required combinations of different ones from archives. Lighting and focus are very difficult and so far I do not belive the system is stable enough to do anything more than look (ie cannot cut yet with this setup). Our goal again was proof of concept does 4K have a value.

best of luck
here's our setup etc
4k operation details

 

[Wade McDonald]

Dr. Palter --

Thanks a million for the tips!

I was more interested in proper procedure or things to watch out for shooting surgery... the specialized optics to adapt an endoscope are a bit out of my league, haha. In the original post, I meant that more as a compliment to the achievement.

Fascinating stuff!

Thanks also to everyone who contacted me off-board and gave me hints and tips about the OR.

W