We’ve seen Microsoft HoloLens go out of this world, onto the battlefield, and even used for fairy tales, but now, it is heading to the operating room. In a new use for the headset, a set of Spanish doctors are wearing HoloLens in operations, helping cut surgery time in half (via 3ders.org.)
The use of HoloLens in the operating room is thanks to Spanish medical tech company Exovite, joining forces with Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid. Surgeons wearing customized versions of HoloLens can see CT scan data, ultrasound data and other key stats from a patient right in front of their eyes during a surgery.
This system was developed with the help of radiologists, engineers, and surgeons. Surgeons can also see other medical images while wearing the headset, such as X-rays and an interactive holographic panel system. This helps reduce a surgeon stress levels, and surgery times by up to half— down from 8.5 hours to only 4.5 hours.
Dr. Rubén Pérez Mañanes remarked on the use of HoloLens:
“We are the first in the world to carry out radiological imaging in the operating room using Mixed Reality glasses…We were the first to use 3D printing in cancer surgery in 2014, and now also to mix 3D printing with Mixed Reality glasses in a real surgery.”
The Gregorio Marañón Hospital actually used the HoloLens in surgery back in April on a patient who had a malignant muscular tumor, so the technology is definitely working in the hospital’s favor. Safe to say this is a new step forward in healthcare, and it will be interesting to see if more hospitals catch on with the technology in the future.
