Help Lightning

Remote expertise through the power of merged reality

Access to this ground-breaking technology is included at no cost with an InterSurgeon clinician membership. Help Lightning allows experienced surgeons to guide and interactively assist others during operations in real-time, anywhere in the world.

Join InterSurgeon today

What are the benefits of Help Lightning for surgeons?

In light of the pandemic, and for the foreseeable future, the conventional ways of establishing collaborative partnerships through physical visits are not going to be possible. However, because Help Lightning allows surgeons to collaborate remotely, partnerships can still develop – and more easily than ever before. Help Lightning can be used as a tool for education, mentorship and instruction – as well as for intraoperative case management. It allows both surgical planning and real-time intraoperative advice.

How does it work?

Watch this video to learn how Help Lightning works. This shows use cases in other industries – it’s every bit as useful with surgical applications and can also be used hands-free. All you need to use Help Lightning is your smartphone and an internet connection, though it can also be used with tablets, desktop computers and smart surgical glasses.

Download a beginner’s guide to Help Lightning here: Help Lightning Basic Training

Virtual help in real-time

Help Lightning uses Merged Reality to blend two real-time video streams – e.g. that of a remote surgical expert and another surgeon that needs help – into a collaborative environment. This Merged Reality allows the expert to virtually reach out and direct real surgical procedures or training.

Help Lightning

Use your existing devices

Help Lightning runs on your existing mobile devices (iOS, Android) or a web-browser on laptop and desktop computers.

Surgeons can now provide remote assistance as though they’re working side-by-side. They can telestrate, freeze images, use hand gestures, and even add real objects into the merged reality environment.

Help Lightning Software

Be there instantly

Help Lightning is easy, fast and intuitive.

Once you’re in a merged reality call with a colleague or customer, simply tap the mode to change how you interact. Choose whether you’re giving or receiving help, and start collaborating in seconds. Help Lightning’s unique Merged Reality can add missing visual cues, gestures, and non-verbal communication methods to any session.

Help Lightning
Help Lightning

Using Help Lightning with smart surgical glasses

Take Help Lightning to the next level by pairing it with smart glasses. This innovation allows the wearer to benefit from the assistance of AI or a third-party while performing surgery. When used in conjunction with Help Lightning, smart glasses mean that another surgeon can see exactly what you are seeing and what you’re doing – and also have their hands superimposed over your field of view.

There are a number of models available from different manufacturers including VUZIX, Zebra, and RealWear.

The Advantage of Remote Expertise

Studies show that adding gestures and nonverbal clues substantially improves the speed of understanding. Furthermore, nonverbal cues are 430% more effective than verbal cues and nonverbal cues make Help Lightning’s combination of verbal and nonverbal communication up to 10 times more effective.

Sources: Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, British Journal of Clinical Psychology

Join InterSurgeon today and use Help Lightning for free

Join InterSurgeon

Monserrat Almaguer

Monserrat Almaguer

Neurosurgeon

Hospital Civil Guadalajara Dr Juan I Menchaca, Guadalajara, Mexico

User

Location information

Hospital address

Hospital Civil Guadalajara Dr Juan I Menchaca Salvador Quevedo y zubieta No. 750 edificio anexo piso 2 Guadalajara Jalisco 44340 Mexico

Hospital type

Public

Hospital description

Academic (Residency Program)

Description

I am currently Chief of Neurosurgery Residents of the hospital where I practice. I have participated as a speaker in different international congresses, in Taipei, Israel, Costa Rica. I have had national and international rotations to the USA, with Dr Zulma Tovar-Spinoza.
I coordinated the endoscopy section of the XXV Mexican Congress of Neurological Surgery.
I started the project for fetal surgery in my hospital of affiliation.
Later this year I will have the opportunity to work under the tutelage of Dr Giuseppe Cinalli.

Member information

Name

Luz Monserrat Almaguer

Member type

Individual independent practitioner

Specialty

Neurosurgeon

Subspecialties

  • Neurosurgeon with paediatric interest

Languages spoken

  • English
  • Spanish
  • Italian

Professional affiliations / memberships

  • AANS

Social profiles

Current and past partnerships

Has current partners or past partnership experience in these countries

  • Argentina
  • Cuba
  • Germany
  • United States of America

Leads regular trips to at least one hospital/country

Offers mentorship as part of regular trips to these countries

  • Cuba

From the United States of America I have taken my mentor, Dr Zulma Tovar-Spinoza for whom I have decided on the path of pediatric neurosurgery, I was four weeks in his service and they were enough to want to follow in his footsteps.
From Germany it could be said that my neurosurgical lineage comes from there, my teacher and head of service Dr Hector Velazquez was a direct ward of Professor Axel Perneczky, father of the minimal invasion, principles with which I was formed.
From Cuba we have had a close collaboration where I was able to participate in the first awake brain surgery that was carried out on the island. It is a cultural and professional exchange, which left me learning that is not read in the books.
From Argentina we have had collaboration with Dr Alvaro Campero in some conferences and workshops of skull base.

Conditions treated

  • Hydrocephalus
  • Spinal dysraphism
  • Trauma
  • Tumor
  • Vascular
  • Craniofacial
  • Spine
  • Epilepsy

Equipment used

  • Drill
  • Microinstruments
  • Microscope
  • Neuroendoscope Rigid
  • Frameless navigation
  • Spinal instrumentation
  • MRI
  • CT
  • ECOG