As soon as the patient is under anesthesia, the surgeons get to work. Precision is the order of the day, the shorter the operation, the better the outcome for the patient. To achieve this, orthopedic procedures are planned in advance on the computer, especially when they have to select and align the right protheses. mediCAD Hectec provides the appropriate software for this. But, how helpful would it be if surgeons could take a 3D version of their plans into the operating room (OR)? The answer: extremely helpful indeed. That is why the company developed the solution mediCAD InsightOR, which allows surgeons to use a Extended Reality headset to access and interact with the necessary information without contaminating the sterile environment.

The challenge: Taking the plan into the Operating Room

Working at a hospital is stressful. For many orthopedic surgeons, the day often starts as early as 8 a.m. with the first operation. Between surgeries, they must fit in office hours, rounds and prepare for upcoming procedures. They keep up this hectic pace all day, but they never forget that each patient and each operation is unique. Proper planning is therefore essential. “We develop all our solutions in collaboration with experts in orthopedic surgery,” says Eric Erdmann, Head of Development at mediCAD Hectec. “Our goal is to create solutions that can be integrated seamlessly into day-to-day hospital life and provide the best possible support for planning and performing operations.”

The company already offers mediCAD 3D, a tool for producing three-dimensional plans for orthopedic procedures during pre-op. This allows doctors to align implants and screws with greater precision than when using 2D planning tools. But as soon as they enter the OR, accessing the plan becomes rather tricky. “Some surgeons actually print out the plans and hang them in the operating room. But the human body is often more complex than what fits on an A3 sheet of paper,” says Christiane Hämmerl, Product Manager at mediCAD Hectec. “Of course, the OR is equipped with screens displaying information relating to the operation. The problem with this setup is that it’s time-consuming: the surgeon must step away from the patient, remove their gloves, operate the computer, look at the plans without the patient in front of them, put on new sterile gloves, return to the patient, and pick up again where they left off. That is all rather inconvenient.”

mediCAD Hectec has developed a better solution. The research project that began in 2018 is now reality and goes by the name mediCAD InsightOR.

The solution: mediCAD InsightOR brings operation plans into the OR

InsightOR, the directly usable application during surgery in the OR. But this requires the right hardware, for example Meta Quest 3, to project objects as holograms into the user’s field of vision. Objects like the plans for the operation, for instance. “After an operation has been planned in mediCAD 3D, you simply press a button and the data is prepared for use with Meta Quest 3,” Hämmerl says. “With our assistance app for mediCAD InsightOR on the computer, the data can be enriched as required, for example with X-ray images or instructions for a new implant that is being used for the operation.” Once the data has been prepared, the planned images open in the surgeon’s field of vision in seconds.

Mr. Erdmann has talked to doctors who are already using the solution: “Anyone who has ever worn the Meta Quest 3 in the OR is convinced that it is a real game-changer. They have the planned images right in front of their eyes at 1:1 size and in 3D, just like the patient, and can zoom in on tissue and bone structures, examine each individual layer, and rotate the view around any axis.” Since the device is operated using voice commands and gestures, all this happens without contaminating the sterile environment. “We design our solutions so that they can be seamlessly integrated into hospital workflows. With mediCAD InsightOR and a XR headset, such as Meta Quest 3, we have achieved this once again,’ summarizes Christiane Hämmerl.

“Anyone who has ever worn the Meta Quest 3 in the OR is convinced that it is a real game-changer. They have the plan images right in front of their eyes at 1:1 size and in 3D, just like the patient.”

Eric Erdmann, Head of Development, mediCAD® Hectec

“We design our solutions so that they can be seamlessly integrated into hospital workflows. With mediCAD InsightOR and Meta Quest 3, we have achieved this once again.”

Christiane Hämmerl, Product Manager, mediCAD® Hectec