Chetan Patel, MD, developer of augmented reality system iSight, said the device has reduced the time taken to place pedicle screws during spine surgery by 51 percent.
That 51 percent translates to 10 minutes saved in the operating room per spine procedure, according to Dr. Patel, executive medical director for spine surgery at Orlando-based AdventHealth.
Augmented reality technology determines the position of surgical tools and superimposes them on the patient's CT data. Since May, Dr. Patel has been using the technology with the iSight glasses, which allow users to simultaneously look at the patient and the navigation data.
"Basically, what we do is: I leave my traditional loops on, the magnification, and then all I have to do is put on my augmented reality glasses right on top," Dr. Patel said. "Essentially, it gives me a 55-inch screen, right in front of my eyes."
Dr. Patel is founder and medical director of the Spine Health Institute in Altamonte Springs, Fla., and the North American Spine Society's section chair of robotics and navigation, a position he has held since it was created in 2012.