A science-fiction trope has turned into reality with Singapore’s first holography-guided heart surgery successfully conducted by a team of surgeons from the National University Heart Centre (NUHCS).
The doctors, wearing holographic visors, could see a 3D hologram of the patient’s heart, derived from a CT scan and projected into space, giving them a coloured “X-ray” vision of the exact inner organ anatomy and position in space, as if they could peek through the chest wall in real time.
The technology serves mainly as an aid for doctors to better plan surgery and anticipate potential difficulties, potentially reducing trauma and bleeding complications that might arise during surgery.
“(It) is especially useful for patients with unusual anatomy, allowing us to get the best operative view and make the smallest cut possible.
“The technology allows us to know the exact location and which angle to make the incision and cut the chest during operation, as well as provide a guide during the initial part of the surgery on whether the procedure is going to be a simple or challenging one,” said Assoc Prof Theodoros Kofidis, the head and senior consultant of the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery in NUHCS.
Prof Kofidis carried out what was reportedly the world’s first holography-guided minimally invasive adult heart surgery in late October last year.
Since then, four other patients have had this technology used for heart surgery.
The surgeons used HoloLens 2, a pair of mixed reality smart glasses from Microsoft through which one can view the hologram.
“HoloLens 2 allowed me to assess the exact distance between the patient’s heart structures... These are structures where essential tools will go in,” Prof Kofidis said. — The Straits Times/ANN
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