Vision Pro-assisted surgery notches up another first; likely to become commonplace

We’ve already seen at least two examples of a Vision Pro headset assisting with surgery, and another first has now been notched up in Florida.

Vision Pro was used to provide “touch-free access to the surgical setup, inventory, and procedural guides from within the sterile field of the operating room” during a shoulder replacement – specifically, a reverse one …

Vision Pro-assisted surgery

Apple last month shared details of how a Vision Pro app can be used with robot-assisted knee and hip surgery.

The myMako app for Apple Vision Pro allows surgeons the ability to access intricate surgical plan details and insights at their fingertips in a 3D-native, intuitive, and dynamic way.

A British neurosurgeon subsequently praised Vision Pro as “a game-changer” after it was used during spinal surgery.

The headset was said to “eliminate human error” by ensuring that the correct processes and instruments were used throughout the operation.

Reverse shoulder replacement

A standard shoulder replacement uses metal and plastic parts as a direct replacement for the equivalent bones. That is, a metal ball is attached to the top of the upper arm bone (the humerus), and a plastic socket is attached to the shoulder blade.

For some injuries, however, a standard replacement is not ideal. This includes those with a torn rotator cuff, as their usual muscles may not allow full and pain-free movement. In these cases, a reverse shoulder replacement (reverse shoulder arthroplasty) is carried out – where the metal ball is located in the shoulder blade, and the plastic cup in the humerus.

That allows the patient to use their deltoid muscle instead of the rotator cuff to lift their arm.

Vision Pro used in reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Surgical logistics software company eXeX reports on the latest use of Vision Pro in the operating room.

The landmark procedure was performed by G. Russell Huffman, MD, MPH of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, and took place at AdventHealth Surgery Center Innovation Tower in Orlando, Florida […]

[The Vision Pro app] offers technicians holographic and touch-free access to the surgical setup, inventory, and procedural guides from within the sterile field of the operating room, granting them access to data and visualization that was previously never available. The platform has significantly increased efficiency of surgical delivery,  with equipment and workflow accuracy, improving patient outcomes.

Likely to become commonplace in the OR

The press release is something of a puff piece, which is light on detail, but it appears that Vision Pro was used in much the same was as during the British spinal surgery: to provide hands-free access to the surgical plan, details of which instruments are needed, and so on.

While that’s not a very glamorous role, it is a very important one which can have a significant impact on both the duration of an operation, and its outcome.

Hospitals have already been using iPads in this way, and it’s entirely possible that the app referred to here was simply an iPad app running on Vision Pro, but the greater ease and efficiency of having the information in augmented reality form is clear.

We fully expect to see the use of Vision Pro headsets in operating rooms become routine.

Images: Per-Henrik Randsborg/CC3.0 and JC Gellidon on Unsplash