Doctors Make Apple Vision Pro Their Handy New Instrument In The Surgery Room

Image via eXeX / PR Newswire 

Apple’s Vision Pro has been making some cutting-edge moves in the surgery room. Dr Robert Masson, a prolific neurosurgeon from Orlando, became the first to bring the “mixed-computing” headgear into an operating room setting, leading to a successful procedure, just three days after the product’s launch.

Dr Masson, who has 36 years of experience in the fields of neurosurgery and sports spine medicine, used an Apple Vision Pro equipped with software from his company, eXeX, that gave holographic and touch-free access to nurses and technicians in surgical setups. This previously unimaginable availability helped enhance his team’s understanding of tools, equipment, supply layout, and the specific sequence of use for each unique procedure.

To be clear, it was a scrub nurse, and not Dr Masson himself, who donned the mixed-reality headset. Through the medical AR/VR app, the nurse could retrieve real-time surgical plans, instructions, and even visualizations of critical anatomy, all overlaid onto their view of the operating field. Several minimally invasive spinal surgeries were performed by this team using the gadget.

The success was replicated shortly thereafter at Cromwell Hospital in London. There, Dr Syed Aftab, performing another spinal surgery, received similar assistance from a nurse using Vision Pro. Dr Aftab lauded the technology’s potential to improve surgical accuracy and efficiency, highlighting the ease of access to crucial information.

Image via eXeX / PR Newswire 

An orthopedic doctor in Brazil, Dr Bruno Gobbato, also embraced the Vision Pro, utilizing its dynamic camera range to successfully operate on a patient with a rotator cuff tear.

These are just initial forays, but the results are promising. Such technology has the potential to enhance visualization by allowing surgeons to access detailed 3D models of a patient’s anatomy, providing a clearer picture during complex procedures.

Surgical navigation can also be improved with real-time guidance systems that project vital information, minimizing human errors and ensuring correct procedures are followed. Streamlining workflow is another potential benefit. Information sharing between surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals can be vastly improved through a shared virtual space.

“We are in a new era of surgery, and for the first time, our surgical teams have the brilliance of visual holographic guidance and maps, improving visuospatial and temporal orientation for each surgical team and for each surgery in all specialties,” Dr Masson shared.

[via The Orlando Life, 9to5Mac, Wasted, cover image via eXeX / PR Newswire]