By: Akshita Nair
Ever since it was first created, Extended Reality has promised to revolutionize every aspect of life: we could visit distant lands from the comfort of our homes; we could immerse ourselves in the games we play; we could create new fantasy worlds; and so much more. While most of these ideas are still just dreams, Extended Reality has many game-changing applications in healthcare today. It may sound surprising that the same technology that allows you to play Pokemon Go has the potential to save lives, but Extended Reality can be an incredibly useful tool in healthcare, especially the field of cardiology.
Extended Reality is an umbrella term for all kinds of reality that are combined with or replaced by a virtual environment. The three most well-known types are Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR). AR is when the real and virtual environments are kept separate, and the virtual elements help enhance (or augment) reality. It’s the technology used in games like Pokemon Go. VR is when reality is entirely replaced with a virtual environment, as Oculus headsets do. MR is, as its name suggests, a combination of the two, where the real and virtual elements interact. All three types of Extended Reality have many applications in cardiology, specifically in education, pre-procedural planning, visualization during procedures, and rehabilitation.
Education, whether it’s for patients, families, or future physicians, has long been limited to 2D images or plastic models. Given the complexity of organs like the heart, the use of 2D images is rarely enough to promote a complete understanding of various conditions. VR can allow doctors, students, patients, and families to better understand the anatomy of the heart by observing 3D models that can be easily manipulated. The Stanford Virtual Heart is a good example of the use of VR in education. Students can easily interact with the beating model of the human heart, and can even choose to stand inside it to understand the complications associated with various conditions. In addition to teaching students about anatomy, VR can also give them valuable experience about surgeries before they even step into the operating theatre, meaning that new surgeons will have at least some level of experience before their first operation. The use of MR can even allow students to do holographic dissections together, interacting with each other and viewing the same material to enhance understanding.
Extended Reality is an important part of planning before procedures. A combination of VR, AR, and MR can help doctors and patients understand the problem that needs to be addressed. Doctors can even plan out how to do procedures based on interactive VR models of the heart. Extended Reality is also a valuable asset during procedures. Since VR completely replaces reality with a virtual environment, it is not as useful as AR and MR during operations. Based on catheter locations, MR displays can create real-time models of the heart that can be easily manipulated without causing harm to the patient. Additionally, AR can display the patient’s vital signs around the surgeon’s field of vision during a procedure so that they can be less distracted in the tense atmosphere of the operating theatre.
So far, the only limitations to using Extended Reality are the size, weight, and cost of the devices required. However, this is expected to change in the near future, as we continue to use the power of Extended Reality to save lives.
References:
CardioVisual. “The Role of Virtual/Augmented Reality in Cardiology.” CardioVisual, 10 July 2020, www.cardiovisual.com/the-role-of-virtual-augmented-reality-in-cardiology/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2021.
Moeller, Bryant. “Virtual Reality Technology: Transforming Cardiovascular Medicine.” The Cardiology Advisor, 20 July 2018, www.thecardiologyadvisor.com/home/topics/practice-management/virtual-reality-technology-transforming-cardiovascular-medicine/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2021.
Silva, Jennifer N.A., et al. “Emerging Applications of Virtual Reality in Cardiovascular Medicine.” JACC: Basic to Translational Science, vol. 3, no. 3, June 2018, pp. 420–430, 10.1016/j.jacbts.2017.11.009. Accessed 8 Sept. 2021.
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