As a major feature of the conference, Pittsburgh surgeons performed a minimally invasive surgical procedure, which was broadcast live to the San Diego conference participants. For the conference, Dr. Schauer performed laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, which is surgery for morbid obesity. He is one of few surgeons in the country performing this type of minimally invasive surgery. In minimally invasive surgery, large incisions are not used. Instead, surgeons use tiny instruments and operate through five small openings.
Surgeons view the patient's internal organs on a TV monitor.
The entire procedure is performed inside the abdomen after gas has been inserted to expand the abdomen. During the nearly three-hour surgery, Dr. Schauer provided a running commentary, explaining his procedure as it progressed. Not only were the conference participants in San Diego able to see Dr. Schauer at work, but they also were able to see the same view of the surgical field that Dr. Schauer was watching on the TV monitor in the operating room. Surgeons in San Diego also had the opportunity to directly question Dr. Schauer as he performed the surgery. For the broadcast, the video was compressed and digitized and sent over four ISDN telephone lines at 512 kbps.