Toby Ingleton |
Global medical technology company Stryker is using the power of Microsoft HoloLens to help improve how it designs operating rooms for hospitals and surgery centres.
The same operating rooms are often used for a wide range of surgeries, from cardiac operations to ear, nose and throat procedures. However, each of these disciplines require different things from an operating room configuration and setup perspective. Factors such as lighting, equipment, tools and patient orientation differ depending on the type of surgery, and must be taken into consideration.
Previously, operating room design involved a meeting between the heads of each surgical discipline at a hospital. Here, each discipline’s representative would present what they want the operating room to look like and what would be needed to successfully complete each procedure.
To help enhance this current model of operating room design, Stryker has turned to Microsoft HoloLens to help support these processes using 3D modelling.
Named By Design, the new solution allows stakeholders to envisage their ideal operating room configuration using holograms and mixed reality.
The solution helps medical teams avoid time-consuming meetings regarding operating room design, and allows Stryker to build and modify different operating room scenarios using hologram technology.
“Through the mixed reality capabilities of HoloLens, a design can be created and adjusted without the need of a complicated mock operating room setup,” explained Lorraine Bardeen, general manager of Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Experiences. “Teams of surgeons can collaborate in a conference room, their office, or work with holograms, at full size and scale, in the actual operating room – no bulky equipment required, just a headset.”
Hospital teams will now be able to accelerate execution, and help improve operating room configurations for surgeons, staff, and patients.
“The process benefits from the advantage of 3D,” Bardeen added. “Stryker can break free of 2D limitations, making it easier for people to visualise a finished project, reduce design errors, save time, and allow facilities to open faster.”