STS member Mauricio J. Garrido, MD, knows how stressful it can be while waiting for news on a loved one having surgery, since he experienced it at age 14 when his father had successful coronary artery bypass surgery.

Now a cardiothoracic surgeon at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health, Dr. Garrido and two co-workers have developed a program that allows family members to receive news from heart surgeons still in the operating room — through a high-definition webcam and video conferencing software.

“The last 30 to 60 minutes of the family waiting is when the anxiety exponentially climbs,” Garrido said. But when he gives them good news about an open-heart surgery from the operating room, he can “see them visibly relax.”

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