The video above is not for the faint of heart. However, it is for any non-doctor who's ever wished to get an up-close view of a hospital operating room (without being a patient of course). This past Friday, Shafi Ahmed, PhD, FRCS, a surgeon at London Independent Hospital, performed a hernia repair surgery while wearing Snapchat's Spectacles. The high-tech glasses allowed him to record and share a series of 10-second videos of what he saw during the operation. As you can see, the resulting YouTube video, which strings together all of Dr. Ahmed's individual snaps, is quite immersive.
Dr. Ahmed narrates the video in a clear, step-by-step manner, while his hands work steadily. He points out the different parts of the body as he encounters them and explains what types of tools and techniques he uses throughout the surgery.
As much as the video absolutely satisfies our inner voyeur, it actually serves an educational purpose as well. According to Time, between 150 and 200 medical students watched Dr. Ahmed's entire snap story. "They liked the way it was structured," he said, explaining that Snapchat's format allowed him to skip "all the boring bits of the operation that may not have educational value for students." If only all teachers could take that approach, right?
The video really is a firsthand view of what surgery looks like — and hopefully this won't be the last time Dr. Ahmed scrubs in wearing a pair of Spectacles.
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