Teaching Tools for Surgeons and Clinicians

Laser pointers are not a new tool for teaching medicine. But a laser pointer is a powerful tool in telemedicine and in teaching medicine.  A laser’s effectiveness is its accuracy – a medical educator’s gesture can provide pinpoint information, a boon for efficient, effective communication and, as a next step, precise diagnosis by means of discussion between expert and junior clinicians.

A Pen-sized Laser Pointer

If teaching remotely, a pen-sized laser pointer is beneficial to teach surgical techniques during laparoscopic and other procedures to indicate landmarks on the video screen. In person or remotely, a laser pointer facilitates communication between surgeon and the assistants. There are even simple techniques that allow surgical team members to use the laser pointer without sterilizing the instrument.

An Assistant to Verbal Communication

Other attending physicians have found that their verbal cues may not be sufficient to providing guidance. According to Gabor B. Racz, MD and James Y. Kao, PhD, MD, Department of Anesthesiology; Texas Tech University Health Science Center; Lubbock, Texas in a piece they wrote for Anesthesiology, “a pen-size laser pointer can help save time and expenses. From a safe distance, the correct entry point in the sterile field and the path of the needle can be precisely pinpointed and prescribed with a laser pointer.”  We could not have said it better ourselves.

Which Laser Pointer Pen is Best for Surgeons, Allergists and Chiropractors?

Most laser pointers used in surgery are activated from a distance and do not require sterilization, a huge benefit to practitioners in the medical field. Please note that the Touch Pad Pro Lasers in silver and black work with either nitrile or latex gloves for those who do scrub in. Red is often the laser color of choice, used primarily in a closed room where distance is not a concern.  The 635 nm of the Touch Pad Pro and The Power Pro red lasers is the preferred wavelength in chiropractic and allergy offices for its effective healing of cellular physiology and stimulation of acupuncture points.