Surgeons miles apart use VR to operate on patient

Three surgeons from London and Mumbai have used virtual and augmented reality technology to operate together on a patient at The Royal London Hospital.

The surgeons wore Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets to virtually appear live in the same hospital where the patient was being operated on.

Professor Shafi Ahmed, a colorectal surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust was joined virtually by professor Shailesh Shrikhande, a cancer surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and Hitesh Patel a consultant colorectal surgeon at BMI the London Independent Hospital.

Each surgeon could see an avatar of each other in the surgery and they were able to point to 3D holograms of the patient’s tumour, virtually drawing on the images to discuss the operation.

Professor Shafi Ahmed, colorectal surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “We have truly integrated technology with healthcare. By bringing together specialists in real time from across the world and different time zones we have demonstrated that we can make surgery safer and ensure the best patient outcomes, democratising surgical practice. Augmented and Virtual Reality have incredible potential, not only in the NHS but also to encourage collaboration to improve accessibility, equity and safety in developing countries.”

Professor Shailesh Shrikande said: “I am delighted that Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, one of the largest premier cancer centres of the world, has taken the lead yet again to meet the challenges of modern day surgical training in this part of the world. The platform is simply amazing but it would be even more fascinating a journey to see how this platform evolves to transform patient care across a vast country like India, revolutionising surgical training in a nation that thrives in different centuries at the same time.”

Mr Hitesh Patel, colorectal surgeon at BMI The London Independent Hospital added: “This was the first time I’ve used the HoloLens and I found it very exciting. It takes a while to get used to but it was clear to see the other people involved as a hologram. It was an amazing way to interact with eminent surgeons across the world, and discuss the case and look at the same images together. It’s also nice to have everything in front of you without sifting through paper, trying to find results – so all of these are great benefits to the patient.”

In 2014 professor Shafi Ahmed – who is dubbed the ‘virtual surgeon’ – used google glasses to transport 13,000 people directly into the operating to aid the education of surgical students.