Inter-operative consultation, frozen, or cryosection support can be one of the most challenging situations for a pathologist.¹ As a pathologist is required to be present during surgery, this frequently demands costly late night trips to the operating room.² Absence of a pathologist postpones surgery and requires rescheduling of surgical procedures.³ During a frozen section, evaluation time is of paramount importance as the patient is in the operating room under anesthetic.⁴
The on-site presence of the SL5 instrument in the adjacent surgery suite, with its remotely controlled robotic microscope, allows the pathologist to provide essential information for the surgeon.
References¹Macario, A. What does one minute of operating room time cost?. J Clin Anesth. 2010 Jun;22(4):233-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2010.02.003. PubMed
²Ho J, Ahlers SM, Stratman C, Aridor O, Pantanowitz L, Fine JL, Kuzmishin JA, Montalto MC, Parwani AV. Can digital pathology result in cost savings? A financial projection for digital pathology implementation at a large integrated health care organization. J Pathol Inform. 2014 Aug 28;5:33. doi: 10.4103/2153-3539.139714. eCollection 2014. PubMed
³Middleton LP, Feeley TW, Albright HW, Walters R, Hamilton SH. J Oncol Pract. 2014 Jul;10(4):275-80. Second-opinion pathologic review is a patient safety mechanism that helps reduce error and decrease waste. J Oncol Pract. 2014 Jul;10(4):275-80. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2013.001204. Epub 2014 Apr 1. PubMed
⁴‘Improving diagnosis in healthcare’. September 22, 2015. Balogh, EP, Bryan T. Miller BT, and Ball JR. National Academy of Sciences