CHENNAI: When the surgeon's scalpel drew a red line on the patient's abdomen, two blocks away a group of medical students leaned toward their screens.The procedure was a simple hernia repair, but the surgical team was unusually upbeat as they turned to look at the latest gadget in the operation theatre – the Google Glass worn by their chief.As the medical fraternity in the west debates the usefulness of the newest device produced by software giant Google Inc, doctors in India have joined the chorus with bouquets and brickbats, even as a surgeon in the city became the first in the country to live-stream a surgery using the Google Glass.On Tuesday, Lifeline Hospitals live-streamed an upper gastro-intestinal laparoscopy procedure on a 45-year-old man and a hernia repair on a 42-year-old woman to medical students seated two blocks away using Google Glass."It felt like I was glancing at my rearview mirror while driving. I was focusing on the surgeries and talking to my students at the same time. At one point, I stopped feeling it was an external device," said Dr J S Rajkumar, chief surgeon of the hospital.Google Glass is a wearable computer that has a frame similar to traditional eyeglasses. It follows voice commands to take photos and videos that show the viewpoint of the user.The surgeries were live-streamed on Google Hangout as well. Doctors say the gadget is yet another step forward in opening the doors of the operation theatre. "People need to know what is happening behind those doors. This is one more gadget towards that end. Students can see the surgical procedures through their seniors' eyes, quite literally. This is a phenomenal surgical tool," said Dr Rajkumar."We did face some practical glitches like problems with wi-fi and the battery dying early."Although the gadget is yet to hit the market, Google distributed 2,000 of the gizmos earlier this year for testing before its release to the general public.Besides being an educational tool, doctors say the technology could be used to view X-rays, MRI images and other medical information as they conduct surgeries. It could also be used to connect with doctors in far flung places, provided their internet connectivity is good."The gadget could help professionals access data and communicate with colleagues far away, while getting feedback to improve efficiency and quality of patient care. The possibilities are endless, but at the end of the day any gadget is only as good as the user," said Dr Sai Satish, consultant interventional cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals While some doctors say the device could soon become a fixture in operation theatres, some see it as a distraction. "It's too early to celebrate this as a breakthrough in healthcare tools. Unless it is carefully vetted, it could be a disaster for patients," said Dr R Ravi Kumar, director, institute of cardiovascular disease, robotic surgery centre at Chettinad Health City.He said operation theatres already had gadgets performing the same functions as Google Glass. "I use a camera attached to my head which is live-streamed to audiences in different parts of the world. So what makes this gadget special? We'll have to wait till it hits the market," said the doctor, adding that the price tag of $1,500 was too steep too expensive for many doctors.