proAV professional audio visual systems have played a crucial role in the UK's first 3D laparoscopic surgery as part of a project that looks set to change the future of minimal access surgical procedures in hospitals across the country.

The Minimal Access Therapy Unit (MATTU) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in the teaching of innovative laparoscopic surgical techniques and forms part of the Post Graduate Medical School at the University of Surrey. Delegates and researchers from all over the world attend MATTU's centre of excellence for telesurgery, which is the busiest and most successful unit of its kind in the UK, running over 60 courses each year that cover the whole spectrum of minimal access surgery.

MATTU commissioned proAV to design and deliver a raft of pioneering AV and imaging technologies in a phased project that culminated in an upgrade of the unit's displays to 3D imaging systems, HD cameras and HD feeds from operating theatres at the adjacent Royal Surrey County Hospital.

The first laparoscopic surgery in the UK was finally conducted using three-dimensional imaging by surgeon Iain Jourdan, while cameras screened two live feeds of the abdominal cavity from within to ensure the cutting and stitching procedure was completed with unparalleled precision and accuracy.

“The MATTU project demonstrates how AV technologies are not only transforming the way the healthcare sector conducts procedures and improves results but also inspires and educates a new generation of students and researchers by delivering a unique insight ”

Whilst the wider roll-out of 3D imaging facilities to other hospital research units across the country may take some time, the groundbreaking results achieved by MATTU's new technologies have set the bar for a new era of surgical techniques that will cut operating times and cost and hasten the recovery period for patients.

An exceptional achievement

The first stage of proAV's revolutionary project comprised extensive display, projection and conferencing equipment together with fibre optic cable connectivity between five operating theatres at the hospital and the MATTU facility. Indeed, the fibre optic cable run over a lengthy 2.5km distance without loss of quality was an exceptional achievement in itself.

World class audio visual systems were installed throughout the post graduate lecture theatres, including a 100-seat theatre, hub facility, technician's control room and meeting room. Meanwhile upgrades to the unit’s projection, conferencing and display equipment have continued in line with the demand for high quality medical training and research facilities. MATTU is not a training institution that's standing still, as proAV Business Manager, Ashley Rudd, confirms.

'MATTU is a dynamic, internationally recognised centre of medical training excellence,' explains Ashley. 'It has earned a reputation for teaching innovative laparoscopic surgical techniques and has invested heavily in technology to encourage the research and development this sector really needs to stay ahead.

'Indeed, the MATTU project demonstrates how AV technologies are not only transforming the way the healthcare sector conducts procedures and improves results but also inspires and educates a new generation of students and researchers by delivering a unique insight into radical medical techniques that save lives.'

You can read more about the MATTU case study here and, if you'd like to find out more about proAV's solutions for the healthcare sector, click here. 

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