Telepathology Consultation System for Frozen Sections

Augmentiqs is a low cost telepathology consultation system for frozen sections. Integrated within the existing microscope, Augmentiqs enables real-time consultations without the need for scanning, while maintaining digital-pathology grade full pixel resolution of the images for remote viewers.

Telepathology Lowers the Cost of Frozen Sections

Operating room time is expensive, and tissue quality deteriorates quickly. Real-time telepathology consultations from the microscope is very low cost, much faster than scanning, and provides all the benefits of digital pathology consultations which have become standard with whole slide scanners.

Just how valuable is remote telepathology for frozen sections? According to a 2014 study conducted in California, the cost per minute of the Operating Room reached $37. Yet more importantly than actual dollar amount, the Operating Room as a whole accounts for 40% of total hospital expenses, yet generates 70% of the revenue. Remote telepathology can reduce Operating Room expenditures by providing surgeons with real-time feedback from the pathologist.

In order to limit the amount of idle time in the Operating Room, and due to the nature of the procedure and speed of tissue deterioration, the frozen section is designed to be processed and diagnosed as fast as possible. Staining of the tissue is done in just several minutes, compared to the typical staining process which last many hours. This is despite the significant reduction in stain quality and pathologist ability to diagnose.

Augmentiqs is a telepathology solution for frozen sections that fits the needs of the surgeon, pathologist and hospital administration.

Augmentiqs is a low cost telepathology consultation system that supports frozen section pathology diagnosis by providing remote experts with a live feed of the tissue as seen in the microscope. The multi-directional telepathology software enables the remote pathologists to point out, mark and annotate different areas on the slide for surgeon review.

Augmentiqs is easily integrated within the accessory port of the microscope, saving the expense of C-mounts & trinocular heads.

And as Augmentiqs does not scan the slide, but rather transfers only the region of interest as seen within the microscope eyepiece, the resulting low-data footprint with industry-standard security protocols allows for immediate and real-time image transfer without any need for concerns regarding HIPAA compliancy.