On February 20, 2014 Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre live-tweeted a heart bypass surgery, posting photos, information and even videos in real time.
The surgery was performed by lead surgeon Dr. Gideon Cohen along with a team of medical specialists on Lou, 57-year-old patient.
Members of the public were invited to "watch" the surgery from start to finish via Twitter. The institution said it is performing this live tweet experiment as a way of educating the public about cardiac disease and the importance of heart health. February has been designated heart month and organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation run campaigns and educational initiatives to inform Canadians.
Heart disease and stroke are two of the three leading causes of death in Canada. According to the foundation, someone dies of heart disease or stroke every seven minutes in Canada.