Twenty-four years ago, surgeon Santiago Horgan performed the first robotically assisted gastric-bypass surgery in the world, a major medical breakthrough. Now, Horgan is working with a new tool that he argues could be even more transformative in operating rooms: the Apple Vision Pro. Horgan and other surgeons at the University of California, San Diego have performed more than 20 minimally invasive operations while wearing Apple’s mixed-reality headsets. While the headsets have not been successful commercially, they are being tested in industries such as architecture and medicine. Horgan believes that wearing these headsets during surgeries has improved his effectiveness while lowering his risk of injury, potentially having a significant impact on hospitals across the country.
Horgan directs the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego, which explores how emerging technology might improve surgical processes. In laparoscopic surgery, doctors send a tiny camera through a small incision in a patient’s body, and the camera’s view is projected onto a monitor. Surgeons must then operate on a patient while looking up at the screen, requiring considerable hand-eye coordination and the ability to process other visual variables in a pressurized environment. Horgan notes that surgeons often have to turn around and stop the operation to check various screens and monitors, causing discomfort and interrupting the flow of the surgery.
The use of mixed-reality headsets like the Apple Vision Pro could potentially streamline the surgical process by providing surgeons with all the information they need in a single view. Surgeons would no longer need to constantly look away from the patient to check monitors and scans, improving their focus and potentially reducing the risk of errors. Horgan believes that this technology could have a significant impact on hospitals, especially those that cannot afford expensive specialty equipment, making advanced surgical techniques more accessible to a wider range of patients.
Horgan compares the potential impact of mixed-reality headsets in surgery to his previous breakthrough in robotically assisted gastric-bypass surgery in 2000. While that breakthrough revolutionized the field of surgery, Horgan believes that the use of mixed-reality headsets could have an even greater impact due to its accessibility and potential to improve surgical outcomes. By providing surgeons with a more efficient and effective way to access and process information during surgery, mixed-reality headsets could potentially revolutionize the way surgeries are performed, benefiting both patients and healthcare providers.
In conclusion, the use of mixed-reality headsets like the Apple Vision Pro in surgery has the potential to revolutionize the field of surgery by improving surgeons’ effectiveness, reducing the risk of errors, and making advanced surgical techniques more accessible. Surgeons like Santiago Horgan are exploring how this emerging technology could streamline the surgical process and improve patient outcomes. By providing surgeons with all the information they need in a single view, mixed-reality headsets could transform the way surgeries are performed, benefiting both patients and healthcare providers.
