Surgical Theater Wows at the Milken Institute Global Conference

LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Milken Institute’s 22^nd Global Conference brought together the leading minds in business, technology, government, media, philanthropy, health care, and entertainment to deliver novel and collaborative responses to the great questions of our time.  The CEO and Co-Founder of Surgical Theater, Moty Avisar, was asked to join a panel discussion titled, “Things that will Blow your Mind”.  To the audience’s delight, Moty shared the story of a chance encounter with the Chairman of Neurosurgery at University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.  The surgeon noticed Moty’s Israeli accent and struck up a casual conversation, not knowing Moty and his Co-founder Alon Geri were deployed in Cleveland on behalf of the Israeli Airforce to build the F-16 Flight Simulator with Aerospace contractors Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin.  As they discussed elements of fighter pilot flight simulation, their encounter led to some questions: What if surgeons could rehearse and practice like fighter pilots?  Could they preview their surgical procedure, much like a fighter pilot can pre-fly their mission? Surgeons would be able to increase their situational awareness from every angle, and every approach, as they planned a procedure on a specific patient’s anatomy. 

Shortly thereafter, Surgical Theater was born, and the first platform was later named Precision VR® – A Virtual and Augmented Reality surgical visualization platform, based on F-16 Fighter Pilot Flight simulation and now utilized by surgeons and hospitals around the world. The panel was moderated by Richard Sandler, Executive Vice President of the Milken Family Foundation.  To a sold-out crowd with standing room only at the famous Beverly Hilton, Moty shared the story of Reef.  A 7-day-old infant boy born with a giant aneurysm, who according to his Neurosurgeon may not have survived the complicated surgical repair without the use of Precision VR® by Surgical Theater.   As a video highlighted Reef’s incredible story, his father’s quote made quite an impact on the audience who responded with roaring applause, “Without this software, my son wouldn’t have made it… Lives are going to be saved and that’s the bottom line.”   

The Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, strives to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that improve health.  While Precision VR® was highlighted as a platform to help surgeons plan and rehearse complicated operations and guide them during surgery in the operating room, Surgical Theater’s patient-centric mission of changing medicine became a central theme during the panel discussion.  When value-based health care initiatives and precision medicine come together, meaningful patient engagement opportunities emerge.  Surgeons and institutions who utilize Surgical Theater’s 360° patient-specific reconstructions during consultations (with the families who seek their expert care) achieve more meaningful connections, greater patient satisfaction, and substantial clinical and economic outcomes.  By chance, a patient who had a Surgical Theater experience and excellent clinical outcomes at a major hospital in New York, happened to be attending the Milken Institute’s Global conference.  This patient was told by another major hospital system that his spinal tumor was too dangerous to operate on.  However, he sought a second opinion with a surgeon who conducted a consultation with Precision VR® by Surgical Theater and was shown how his tumor could be addressed safely. During his presentation, Moty asked the patient to stand and be recognized as his story of perseverance, courage, and strength embodies the Surgical Theater mission.

Surgical Theater is the market leader in virtual and augmented reality healthcare services. Our Precision VR® platform combines this cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology, with a patient’s own anatomy. Precision VR® environments are rendered from comprehensive, combined modalities of CT and MRI, as well as advanced post processing images such as DTI and BOLD. The 360° virtual reality fly-through is designed to allows patients and their surgeons to step into the patient’s complex diagnosis and to walk together in a 360-degree, Virtual Reality reconstruction of the patient’s anatomy. This first-of-its-kind immersive 360-degree environment allows for unparalleled patient education and engagement, while also delivering next-generation surgical planning and navigation capabilities. Precision VR® is proven to increase patient satisfaction, improve patient engagement, and improve a hospital’s financial performance.

Medical Institutions across the country, including George Washington University Hospital, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Stanford Medical Center, Houston Methodist, NYU, University Hospitals, Mt. Sinai and Hoag Hospital are utilizing Surgical Theater’s Precision VR® in the clinic as well as in the operating room.

About Surgical Theater

Surgical Theater, the market leader in virtual and augmented reality healthcare services, is the first to combine cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology with a patient’s own anatomy scans. Rendered from comprehensive combined modalities of CT, MRI as well as advanced post processing images such as DTI and BOLD, the 360° virtual reality fly-through is designed to allows patients and their surgeons to step into the patient’s complex diagnosis and to walk together in a 360-degree, Virtual Reality reconstruction of the patient’s anatomy. Find out more at www.SurgicalTheater.net and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SurgicalTheater

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/surgicaltheater/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/surgical-theater/

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SOURCE Surgical Theater