Live Streaming Brain Surgery Transforms Patient Experience

As one of the world’s premier destinations for neurosurgery and neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute provides top-quality care for those suffering from brain and spine diseases, disorders, and injuries. Not to mention, the medical center performs more neurosurgeries annually than any other hospital in the United States. The institute also plays host to the country’s largest neurosurgery residency program.

Impressive statistics aside, Barrow’s guiding philosophy of unparalleled patient care has prompted program administrators to implement state-of-the-art live stream video, giving patients and their families the opportunity to educate themselves on treatments and other underutilized therapies.

In April and May of 2018, Dr. Francisco Ponce performed deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery on John Wagner, a patient suffering from unrelenting tremors due to Parkinson’s disease. Because the therapy isn’t typically performed in the United States, many people, like Wagner, have instant reservations. But Ponce says that shouldn’t be the case. “This therapy is neither experimental nor a treatment of last resort, but it is underutilized,” says Ponce. Coordinators from Barrow’s DBS program provided John and his wife, Judy, all the education possible to put their minds at ease. Part of this educational curriculum: watching other live surgery videos. By the time the surgery came around, Judy was so comfortable putting her husband in the hands of Dr. Ponce, she didn’t even hesitate to watch the DBS surgery on the live stream.

While live streaming surgeries is certainly helpful for people like John and Judy, it also allows Barrow’s neurological residents additional opportunity for continued education. And in order to maintain the institute’s premier ranking, the innovation of live surgery streaming only helps propel its brand even further. That’s why Barrow chose to partner with the leading online video solutions provider, Brightcove.

With the Brightcove platform in place, Barrow not only has the means to manage and distribute video efficiently across its website and social media channels; it also has the most powerful technology to distribute live surgery video to fellow doctors, residents, patients, and people curious about neurosurgery in general. And thanks to Brightcove’s flexible video ecosystem and partner integrations, Barrow’s digital team can easily sync its content management system with the platform, creating an all-in-one solution for asset management.

In one instance, Barrow live streamed a surgical removal of an acoustic neuroma; the live stream was shared on the hospital’s website. The day before the surgery, over 27,000 Facebook and Twitter users clicked on promotional ads, bringing a tremendous uptick in traffic to the site. Within one month following the surgery, Barrow had already recorded over 40,000 viewers who had logged on to watch Dr. Randall Portell and Dr. Mark Syms do what they do best: save a life.