i3 - November/December 2020 - 12

Tech

By Murray Slovick

A T EC H TO WATC H

f you think of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) only in terms of video games,
think again. The global AR and VR digital
health care market was estimated at $960 million in
2019 and is expected to reach $1.2 billion this year,
according to Grand View Research. Projecting further,
Reports and Data predicts the market for AR/VR in
health care will reach over $7 billion by 2026.

Microsoft's
Hololens AR
headset assists
doctors treating
COVID-19
patients.

With COVID limiting physical interaction, virtual communication is the new normal, concludes a new IDTechEx report,
Optics and Displays in AR, VR, and MR (mixed reality, the
merging of real and virtual worlds) 2020-2030. By 2030,
IDTechEx predicts the augmented, virtual and mixed reality
optics and display markets will total over $28 billion.
By way of review, AR overlays, or augments, what you see
in real life with location-specific information and graphics.
VR uses headsets to let wearers see, hear and interact with a
360-degree simulation that replaces the user's real-world environment. The user is immersed in a three-dimensional world
in which they can interact. For example, founder of Osso VR,
Dr. Justin Barad, built out the first prototype of what is now
the leading VR solution used for training and assessing surgeons, sales teams and hospital staff.
We are witnessing a new AR/VR wave in health care aimed
at reducing costs and saving lives.
GO ONLINE: CTA's AR/VR Working Group supports the growth of
companies developing technologies and services for the augmented,
mixed and virtual reality segment of the technology industry.
Visit: CTA.tech/Membership/Member-Groups/XR-Working-Group
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● Being able to place
minimally invasive spinal
instrumentation accurately
reduces surgical time and
complication risk.
Augmedics' xvision Spine
system (XVS) is the first AR
navigation system to be
used in spinal surgery.
Johns Hopkins University
surgeons recently used
XVS to place six screws in a
patient's spine to fuse three
vertebrae to relieve the
patient's back pain. XVS
allows surgeons to visualize
their patients' 3D spinal
anatomy through skin
and tissue during surgery
to accurately navigate
instruments and implants
while looking directly at
the patient, rather than a
remote screen. The navigation data is projected
onto the surgeon's retina
using a headset. Augmedics
has received the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration
(FDA) 510(k) clearance
for its AR headset for
surgical procedures.
● Establishing intravenous
(IV) access (finding a vein)
can be challenging. On average, it takes two to three
attempts to establish a
patent peripheral IV site
(source: National Institutes
of Health). The AccuVein
Vein Finder is a portable
device using vein visualization AR technology to help
health care professionals
locate veins for safe and efficient IV access, improving
first attempt success by
98%. Vein visualization uses
near-infrared (NIR) imaging
creating a visual map. The
AccuVein employs two

2021

lasers: an invisible infrared
and a visible red laser providing a real-time image of
the subcutaneous vasculature up to 10mm deep. The
result is a visual projection
that has center line accuracy
of less than the width of a
human hair.
● At the Imperial College
Healthcare (NHS Trust) hospital in London doctors are
wearing Microsoft Hololens
headsets with Dynamics 365
Remote Assist while working
with COVID patients.
Microsoft Teams software
enables a secure live video
feed to be sent to a computer screen in a nearby
room, allowing health care
teams to see everything the
doctor treating COVID-19
patients can see, while
remaining at a safe distance.
As a result, fewer clinicians
are in a high-risk area during
patient care reducing staff
time by 83%.
● The Surgical Rehearsal
Platform (SRP) technology
(aka "surgical theater") is a
virtual reality tour through
a complicated surgical
procedure. The technology
helps surgeons practice the
procedure before heading
into the surgical suite.
The pediatric neuro- and
cardiac surgery programs
at the The St. Joseph's
Children's Hospital in
Tampa are using it to create
patient models and provide
pediatric surgeons with a
detailed planning tool. The
program fuses and
enhances CT and MRI
images to create a
360-degree virtual model
of a patient's anatomy.

LEARN about the latest digital health
advances during CES.

Courtesy of Microsoft

The AR-VR Age has
Begun in Health Care

AR AND VR IN HEALTH CARE

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

10/20/20 10:12 AM

http://augmedics.com https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens https://www.surgicaltheater.net/ https://www.surgicaltheater.net/ https://www.accuvein.com/inf/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=amg_branded&utm_content=1186373271206109&utm_term=accuvein%20vein%20finder&msclkid=d123a58c5ddb1f026de3fa15dcd39404 https://www.accuvein.com/inf/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=amg_branded&utm_content=1186373271206109&utm_term=accuvein%20vein%20finder&msclkid=d123a58c5ddb1f026de3fa15dcd39404 http://ossovr.com https://www.ces.tech/ https://www.ces.tech/membership/member-groups/xr-working-group

i3 - November/December 2020

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