Comparison between camcorder, frontal head and temporal mounted action-cam in digestive surgery: Documentation and educational alternative during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ObjectiveCOVID-19 pandemic has made impact both in clinical and educational settings. The number of surgeries has decreased; thus, the surgery videos of all cases are important for both documentation and education. This study aimed to compare three kinds of cameras in recording digestive surgery. MethodsWe compared three cameras: Panasonic HV-770 Full HD Camcorder, Sony FDR-X3000 Action-cam, and Ordro EP7 Hands-Free FPV Camera. Each camera was used in several recording for superficial and visceral digestive surgeries and we compared the following: operation field, image focus, surgeon's comfort, practicality, and record settings. ResultsCamcorder needs 10–15 min to set up and longer dismounting time, has steady vantage view and focus, good image quality, can be zoomed, but the recording may be obstructed by the surgeon's head. Action camera needs 5–10 min to set up and the dismounting time was equal between Camcorder and Ordro. Action camera depicts surgeon's vision, however, zoom could not be applied while recording. Sony FDR-X3000 used in this study had good image quality, but the use of this camera in a long surgery may generate neck stiffness due to its weight. Ordro EP7 was comfortable in any surgery but it had inferior image quality compared to the others. ConclusionsPanasonic HC-V770 and Sony FDR X3000 had good image quality, where camcorder excelled in longer surgeries due to its comfort, action-cam excelled for shorter surgeries due to ease of use and settings. Ordro EP7 was the most comfortable among all but has lowest image quality.