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                     February 2, 1995
For Immediate Release
Contact: Cheryl Johnson, (614)292-6067
fax: (614)292-7168
cjohnson@osc.edu

Virtual Reality and Anesthesiology

OSC Research Team  at  Medicine Meets Virtual Reality III

Ohio State University Hospitals' John S. McDonald, M.D.,  presented
Virtual Reality Technology Applied to Anesthesiology  at the Medicine
Meets Virtual Reality III Conference in San Diego, California, on January
19-22, 1995.  Dr. McDonald is part of an Ohio Supercomputer Center
research team that is investigating the use of virtual reality in medical
training.  Other members of the project team include OSC Research
Scientist Don Stredney and Immersion Corporation's Louis B. Rosenberg,
Ph.D.

The presentation focused on the team's research in creating and testing a
virtual simulator for use in training medical students in the use of
regional anesthesia, in particular, specific issues and problems of
epidural anesthesiology.  This training simulator allows the person
administering the anesthesia to "feel" the various tissue levels as the
needle progresses towards the spinal column.

There is no method of training residents on this delicate and dangerous
manual task except on live patients.  In addition, teaching this technique
has a highly intensive tutorial demand and presents a significant learning
curve in regard to understanding exact placement of the needle.

According to Stredney, "Epidural anesthesiology is one of the most
frequently used techniques for the relief of pain during surgery.  By
providing a new form of training, the simulator will increase the
proficiency level of the user in technique delivery and improve the
competency required for use on humans."

The topic for this year's conference was Interactive Technology and the
New Paradigm for Healthcare.  This conference allows participants to learn
how leading-edge interactive technologies will affect the future of
medical and surgical practice by improving access, quality, and continuity
of health care, while reducing cost.  This is the first international
forum for medicine and interactive technology to interface and guide the
future of health care.

The OSC is chartered to advance the use of high performance computing and
digital communications on the Information Superhighway. OSC addresses the
technology-related needs of Ohio's academic, industry, and research
communities through varied initiatives including biomedical technology,
visualization, support of k-12 and higher education, high-speed
networking, information storage, industrial outreach, and public service.
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