A medical team at Cromwell Hospital in London strapped on the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro during two spinal surgeries. Doctor’s are calling the device a “game-changing” tool, beefing up Apple’s claims that the headset has a future as a medical device.
Doctors weren’t wearing the Vision Pro themselves, but a scrub nurse reportedly had the VR goggles on during preparations for the surgeries and during the procedures. The Vision Pro was used to view virtual screens imposed on the operating room to select tools and monitor surgery progress.
The software used by Cromwell Hospital was developed by eXeX, a company that builds AI-driven apps pitched at surgeons.
“Working with eXeX to use the Apple Vision Pro has made a huge difference to the way we deliver care to our patients,” said Syed Aftab, one of the Cromwell surgeons who used the device, in a press release. “It’s a real privilege to be the first team in the UK and Europe to use this software within surgery and I’m looking forward to seeing how this technology advances and the impact it can have across hospitals.”
According to a recent press release from Apple, a company called Stryker is touting the “myMako” app for the Vision Pro, which helps doctors develop surgical plans for hip and knee replacements using 3D models and other tools. A variety of other companies and developers are harnessing the Vision Pro for medical training and education, with apps including Fundamental Surgery, CollaboratOR 3D, and Complete HeartX.
“With the unique capabilities of visionOS, healthcare developers are creating new apps that were not previously possible, transforming areas such as clinical education, surgical planning, training, medical imaging, behavioral health, and more,” Apple wrote in its press release.
The first-of-their-kind Vision Pro-assisted surgeries play into a number of initiatives from Apple. The company is pitching the Vision Pro as an enterprise device for professionals from artists to accountants who can use the help of a few extra virtual reality screens. And across Apple’s various products, there’s a huge push into health care, though until now, most of the related products and services were aimed at consumers, such as the Apple Watch’s heart-tracking abilities or the iPhone’s sleep features.
Surgeon here. This is the equivalent of using it to “remember” what utensils to place at a formal dinner setting. It generated the headlines they wanted but they basically wasted $4k of government money for a lark. It’s not like the surgery was impossible without it or the outcome improved. The scrub nurse was probably insulted having to wear something telling her how to do a job she’s done hundreds if not thousands of times. Also…how do you sterilize an AVP? As in, sterilize it sufficiently for a surgery, pre and post op.