Updated: Jun 28
VR training simulates room operation, enabling surgeons and trainees to encounter true-to-life scenarios without facing real-world risk and providing a safe space to practice technical and hands-on work.
With a VR headset, the user is completely immersed in a virtual world. VR headsets are currently the most widely available and affordable option.
Users need to be able to engage easily with and respond to the world they’re immersed in.
There are multiple interaction options available, and the choice of which to use is as important as the choice of headset.
Updated: Jun 28
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information onto the user's view of the real world. This technology can provide trainees with an immersive and interactive learning experience.
Here are the 3 Advantages of augmented reality in surgical training:
01. Simulation of real-life surgical procedures
One of the major benefits of AR in surgical education is the ability to simulate real-life surgical procedures in a safe and controlled environment.
Trainees can practice procedures using virtual reality (VR) simulations and receive feedback on their performance.
This allows them to gain experience and confidence in a low-stakes environment before performing real procedures.
02. Real-time guidance
Another advantage of AR in surgical education is the ability to provide trainees with real-time information and guidance during procedures.
For example, AR can display anatomical structures, surgical instruments, and critical information such as vital signs, directly from the trainee's field of view. This can help trainees to perform procedures more accurately and efficiently.
03. The potential to democratize surgical education
Additionally, AR also has the potential to democratize surgical education by making it more accessible to trainees in remote or underserved areas.
With AR, trainees can access virtual simulations and educational resources from anywhere, eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming travel to training centers.
Challenges of Augmented Reality Surgical Training
Despite the potential benefits of AR in surgical education, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed:
The high cost of AR equipment and the need for specialized training to use the technology.
A lack of standardized protocols and guidelines for AR in surgical education.
Augmented reality (AR) has multiple advantages in surgical education by providing trainees with an immersive and interactive learning experience, real-time information and guidance, and democratizing access to education.
Updated: Sep 21
7 Examples of Augmented Reality platforms in surgery:
1. Proximie
Proximie enables hospitals, surgeons, and medical device companies to capture OR data, share information from anywhere, and generate new insights, so they can improve outcomes and productivity.
Source: Proximie
2. SentiAR
SentiAR creates interactive 3D visuals – using real-time data from catheters and 3D electroanatomic mapping systems, that reflect the anatomy of the inner heart surface.
3. Augmendics
Augmedics Xvision Spine System is an augmented reality surgical guidance system during spine procedures.
4. 7D Surgical
7D Surgical’s machine-vision technology is similar to that of self-driving cars. It utilizes special cameras to analyze surface anatomy in just seconds using only visible light. This creates a full-color 3D image reconstruction consisting of hundreds of thousands of data points used for surgical navigation.
5. Proprio
Proprio fuses AI, AR/VR, and computer vision for precision in surgery.
6. Echopixel
Echopixel enables physicians to use a digital twin of a patient using standard medical images and experience it as a 4D interactive hologram.
Source: Echopixel
7. NextAR
NextAR spine provides real-time surgical guidance superimposed onto the operative field to enhance precision and enable data-driven decision-making.