Immersive Live Streaming of Surgery Using 360-Degree Video to Head-Mounted Virtual Reality Devices: A New Paradigm in Surgical Education.

Background: Prior studies have demonstrated the value of live streamed surgical procedures in surgical education and that learning is further enhanced with the use of 360-degree video. Emerging virtual reality (VR) technology now offers yet another advancement by placing learners in an immersive environment, which can improve both engagement and procedural learning.

Objective: The aim here is to test the feasibility of live streaming surgery in immersive virtual reality using consumer-level technology, including stream stability and impacts on case duration.

Methods: Ten laparoscopic procedures were live-streamed in a 360-degree immersive VR format over a 3-week period for viewing by surgical residents in a remote location wearing a head-mounted display. Stream quality, stability and latency were monitored, and operating room time was compared to non-streamed surgeries to quantify impacts on procedure times.

Conclusions: This novel live streaming configuration was able to deliver high-quality, low-latency video directly to a VR platform, allowing complete immersion into the learning environment by remote learners. Live streaming surgical procedures in an immersive VR format provides an efficient, cost-effective, and reproducible way to teleport remote learners from any location directly into the operating room.