Apple's Vision Pro ushers in a new era of surgery
Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset has gained widespread application in the medical field since its launch in 2024. Surgeons at several hospitals use Vision Pro to perform a variety of challenging surgeries, including shoulder arthroscopic surgery, spine surgery, joint replacement surgery, and laparoscopic surgery. Doctors agree that the Vision Pro headset offers benefits such as high resolution, real-time data display, and 3D models, which can help improve surgical accuracy and efficiency and reduce risk.
Shoulder arthroscopic surgery is precise
Shoulder arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that requires a camera inside the joint. Bruno Gobbato, an orthopedic surgeon at Jaraguá Hospital in Brazil, recently successfully performed surgery on a patient with a rotator cuff tear using Vision Pro. He said that the Vision Pro provides a cinematic-quality high-resolution picture that clearly shows the details of the operation. At the same time, it can also view the patient examination data and 3D anatomical model in real time, which provides great convenience for preoperative planning and surgical operation.
Dr. Gobato had used Microsoft's HoloLens for his surgery, but he believes that the Vision Pro's camera has a higher resolution and greater dynamic range, which makes it a good coped with the bright lights in the operating room. During the procedure, he can not only see his own surgical records and patient X-rays at the same time, but also view the pre-built 3D surgical model through the MyMako app on Vision Pro to guide the entire surgical process.
Remote assistance for spine surgery is efficient
Vision Pro played an important role in a spinal repair surgery at Cromwell Hospital, London, UK. A neurosurgeon and operating room nurse wear the Vision Pro, which allows the nurse to accurately track the progress of the procedure and select the right surgical instruments based on the virtual prompts on the headset. According to the surgeon, the Vision Pro makes the nurses who have never worked with them feel like assistants with whom they have been working for ten years, which greatly improves the efficiency of surgery.
Another big advantage of the Vision Pro is that it supports remote assistance. If there is a difficult problem during the operation, the doctor can connect with experts in other cities through FaceTime, and both parties can view the surgical scene and medical image data synchronously, and get timely suggestions and guidance. This remote consultation mechanism helps to improve the quality of surgery and avoid misdiagnosis and complications.
Preoperative planning for joint replacement surgery is fine
In the field of joint replacement surgery, the Vision Pro also plays a role. For Vision Pro, Stryker has developed an app called "myMako" that digitizes preoperative planning for total hip, total knee and knee replacements, and projects a 3D model onto the patient during the actual procedure, providing doctors with intuitive and dynamic surgical guidance. This innovative technology can reduce postoperative pain and shorten recovery time compared to traditional surgery.
A new phase of laparoscopic surgery has arrived
Laparoscopic surgery is a common minimally invasive procedure, and the addition of Vision Pro marks a new phase in this field. In April 2024, the gastrointestinal colorectal surgery team of the Third Hospital of Jilin University completed the world's first laparoscopic radical sigmoid cancer surgery assisted by Vision Pro. Doctors reported that Vision Pro provides a high-definition, large-field of view surgical scene, which can clearly observe anatomical details and improve surgical accuracy. It also supports real-time navigation and remote learning, reducing risks and complications.
Dr. R Parthasarathy, a gastrointestinal surgeon at GEM Hospital, Chennai, India, is a big fan of Vision Pro. While wearing the headset, he has successfully performed more than 30 laparoscopic surgeries on diseases such as gallbladder, stomach cancer, fistula and hernia. According to Dr. Parthasarathy, the Vision Pro's ability to provide real-time transmission and enhanced vision without delay allows him to view surgical footage, CT scans and other examination data at the same time, greatly improving surgical efficiency.
Hospital Recognition A new era of medical care has begun
Vision Pro's excellence in the medical field has been unanimously recognized by hospitals and doctors. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said that the UK government will invest billions of dollars to modernise NHS IT systems to improve productivity. Several hospitals have listed the Vision Pro as a routine surgical aid, marking a new era in surgery.
Apple also welcomed and encouraged the popularity of the Vision Pro in the medical community. Susan Prescott, the company's vice president of global developer relations, said Vision Pro's unique spatial computing capabilities are opening up new possibilities for doctors, frontline workers and students, and the company looks forward to seeing more innovative applications in the future.
Apple's Vision Pro headset has played an important role in more than 30 difficult surgical operations and has won unanimous praise from doctors. It incorporates advanced technology to provide physicians with the benefits of high resolution, real-time data, and a 3D view to help improve surgical precision, reduce risk, and increase efficiency. Vision Pro has been used in several hospitals, marking a new milestone in surgical procedures.