S
urgeons who work with virtual reality (VR) and aug-
mented reality (AR) don headsets that let them explore
anatomy that's not really there and reference clinical
data that's projected into their field of view. Before dis-
missing those far-out concepts as farfetched, know that
futurist surgeons are already figuring out ways to use VR and AR to
improve pre-op planning, bring intraoperative imaging to the sterile
field and enhance communication among surgical team members. To
appreciate how the technologies might someday be used in your ORs,
you must first understand how they work.
4 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8
What Will the Future
of Surgery Look Like?
Rafael Grossmann, MD | Bangor, Maine
Virtual and augmented reality promises to transform how surgery is
planned, performed and promoted.
Indiana
University
Health
FIELD OF VIEW Augmented reality lets
surgeons see patient records and clinical
data while also projecting and recording
their vantage point to removed audiences.