SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — For the first time, surgeons are leveraging the same technology used in virtual reality video games and some of the most popular apps like GPS to perform more precise surgeries. It’s the next step in allowing precision and innovation to revolutionize the operating room.
Pokémon Go, VR headsets, virtual tourism, home design apps and GPS navigation — all of these things use spatial computing to make what’s not real — seem real. And now spatial computing is moving into the operating room.
“Spatial computing technology is the use of digital images and objects that are placed in physical space,” explained Ryan Broderick, MD, minimally invasive surgeon at UC San Diego Health.
He is one of the first in the nation to test the potential use of spatial computing apps on Apple Vision Pro in the OR.
“We’re using these headsets and putting that image as a digital display in a physical operating room. So, we can make the display or the monitor as big or as little as we want, or as close as far to our faces as we want in any kind of orientation,” described Dr. Broderick.
Imagine surgeons guided by 3D models of a patient’s internal organs, superimposed directly onto their field of vision or receiving real-time guidance from remote experts.
“They could provide some technique and knowledge to what they’re seeing in the headsets as well,” said Dr. Broderick.
It could also be used in training.
“We anticipate being able to almost write on the screen, the virtual screen so we can show them very specific anatomy and where a dissection should take place,” Dr. Broderick told Ivanhoe.
Making procedures more precise and saving more lives.
“This technology is absolutely the future of surgery,” Dr. Broderick said.
Not only does spatial computing help the patient, but the surgeons too. Doctors can spend hours in surgery, often leading to strain on their necks and shoulders as doctors continually look at several screens and monitors. Spatial computing headsets can help by placing the surgical view directly in front of the surgeon’s eyes, improving their posture and reducing physical stress.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
* For More Information, Go To https://health.ucsd.edu/.
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