Live From The Surgery? App Connects Surgeons With Patient's Family, Friends In Real-Time
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A new app is being credited with helping make surgery less stressful not for the patient, but for the often forgotten other stressed-out folks: The friends and family of the person undergoing treatment.
For example, Elna Stratton was recently diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, reports CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez.
As the 77-year-old prepared for surgery, Elna's son was feeling anxious.
"I'm apprehensive about the surgery but very happy that this is, that he's able to hear everything that or know what's going on without wondering and having to wait," said Elna.
As Elna was wheeled into surgery, her son Jeb was able to monitor her progress on his smartphone.
A new app called Ease allows doctors and nurses to provide live updates from the operating room to anyone the patient chooses.
"For some patients, they come into the operating room, not sure if they're going to walk out, and their family may think that too," said Dr. Martin Martino. "But when they get that communication, they know that they're doing well, their heart's beating, they're alive."
As Jeb stood by, he received an alert when his mother was put under, along with a photo of the doctor starting the robotic surgery and live updates throughout.
"Surgery went well, why don't you head to the waiting room to talk about how it went," said Dr. Martin Martino on video through the app.
More than 60 hospitals are now using the app and many of Martino's patients at Leigh Valley Hospital are choosing the technology.
Martino's team has sent live updates to loved ones around the world.
"It was helpful to get those updates throughout the day and also to know that my sister, and other people that my mom chose to inform, were getting that as well," said Jeb Stratton.
Once the patient is asleep in surgery, their stress is over while stress levels for friends and family keep going up. This app helps reduce that.
There are safeguards for privacy and in case something goes wrong in surgery, but in general information gives peace of mind.
For more about the Ease app, see Easeapplications.com.
