The “augmented surgeon” is becoming the new reality of surgical medicine thanks to augmented and virtual reality technologies.
The FDA is clearing an augmented reality solution for surgeons to use during knee surgery. The AR capability helps orthopedic surgeons, which are in huge demand in the U.S., prevent errors and complete complex surgeries efficiently via visual aids overlaid on their field of view.
It’s an example of the “augmented surgeon,” a dawning reality for a profession that’s long relied as much on dexterity and craftsmanship as digital technologies.
To help ease the strain on orthopedic surgeons, Vuzix, a maker of high-end smart glasses for the enterprise, announced this morning that Pixee Medical, a France-based supplier of high-performance computer-assisted surgery solutions, has received 510K clearance from the U.S. FDA for its Knee+ total knee replacement surgery solution to enter the US market with Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses. The United States represents 50% of the worldwide market for knee replacement surgeries. More than 30,000 orthopedic surgeons in the U.S. perform approximately 600,000 total knee replacements annually.
By Greg Nichols | ZDNet
Image Credit: Vuzix
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