How to Introduce Fluorescence Imaging to the Operating Room

Abstract

In recent years, fluorescence imaging has been widely used in a variety of surgical fields. At our hospital, indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging systems were introduced in 2010 in the Department of Breast Surgery and the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, and as of March 2020, they are being used in many departments including the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery (Fig. 5.1). In anatomical drawings in textbooks of surgery, blood vessels and organs are color-coded and clearly depicted. The ICG fluorescence imaging is an epoch-making invention that vividly depicts blood vessels in a bright field, and it has become an indispensable surgical support device in modern surgical treatment not only for dissection but also for organ blood flow evaluation and tumor localization. While fluorescence imaging has become increasingly common, there will still be many facilities that are considering introducing fluorescence imaging systems. We herein demonstrate how clinical engineers, nurses, and surgeons should share information on the installation and storage of the fluorescence imaging system, management of reagents in the operating room, and operation methods for imaging and recording, as well as cost management.