Smart App in Cardiac Surgery; Your Pocket Prompter: AORTA TEVAR INDICATOR, a New Tool to Plan the Right Treatment for Thoracic Aortic Pathology
INTRODUCTION
The technological revolution in the field of medical education is here and it is time to embrace it. The adoption of the on-the-go learning style, the portability of smartphones, and the expression of concepts with interactive illustrations and their global reach have made application-based learning (apps) an effective means. AortaTevarIndicator is an application created for planning endo-prosthetic corrective treatment for diseases of the thoracic aorta. This app has been downloaded worldwide. The results of a survey reveal its widespread acceptance and success. The authors believe that educational apps can have a significant impact on shaping the future of cardiovascular education in the 21st century. This experience with app development and testing could work as a model for other medical educators.
About 80% of the worldwide population owns a mobile phone, independent from the degree of industrialization of their country. There are 5 billion active mobile phones; many are smartphones. On App Store and Google Play and other stores there are thousands of apps, but few of them are really useful in clinical practice. Why don’t we use this technology to improve the effectiveness of our medical practice? More specialties have already introduced smart phones and apps in to their daily clinical practice such as Neurologists and Anesthesiologists. Several apps in cardiac surgery already exist, but are main ly guidelines apps. We present a new tool to plan the optimal treatment for thoracic aortic pathology: a smart app named AORTATEVARINDICATOR.
If you are not an experienced surgeon, decision making in the setting of aortic pathology may be challenging. This new app guides you in the choice of operative strategy and of device selection in the treatment of thoracic aorta pathology. How many times are young surgeons faced with a complex aortic case? In thoracic aortic pathology the decision making process is based primarily on personal experience because there are not clear guidelines. For inexperienced surgeons interpreting CT images and doing vascular reconstruction, deciding on the treatment strategy (surgical, hybrid or endovascular; single or multistage timing) and choosing the appropriate device is difficult. For experienced surgeons the App gives simple hints to facilitate the decision making process.
The AORTATEVARINDICATOR App guides you in the choice of the strategy and device for an appropriate treatment of thoracic aorta pathology. The App is available on Google Play and in the Apple store. There is also a web based version available through the highlighted link. (www.aortatevarindicator.com).
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