Amrita Hospital in Kochi has developed a first-of-its-kind Extended Reality (XR) Supported ecosystem in healthcare, which leverages augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies to significantly enhance capabilities in patient care, medical training, and research. The integration of this advanced technology in clinical practice marks a major milestone in the healthcare industry of India, say experts.
Dr Mahesh Kappanayil, Professor, Paediatric Cardiologist and Lead at 3D Labs, Amrita Hospital, says the new technology has already been deployed in the treatment of 150 patients, with excellent outcomes.
“Extended reality was initially popularized in the gaming industry. It was a big challenge to overcome the complexity of integrating gaming technologies into medicine. This achievement builds upon Amrita Hospital’s existing 3D lab and 3D printing capabilities and setting up the first-ever point-of-care virtual reality lab,” he says.
The extended reality-supported system allows medical professionals to visualize organs as holograms, enabling the delivery of patient-specific, precision medicine.
“By embracing metaverse concepts and utilizing patient data such as CT scans, the XR system allows doctors to understand complex defects, precisely plan difficult surgeries and collaborate with their counterparts from anywhere in the world, leveraging remote connectivity to discuss patient cases and develop treatment plans,” says Dr Kappanayil.
He adds that Amrita Hospital is working closely with industry leaders like Microsoft and other developers to further enhance the capabilities of the XR system by adding immersive teaching tools for medical students, telemedicine operations, and enhanced remote connectivity.
Dr Krishnakumar, Professor and Head of Paediatric Cardiology, Amrita Hospital, says the Pediatric Cardiac Unit at the hospital has been at the forefront of utilizing 3D printing and extended reality (AR/VR) technologies for the clinical benefit of patients.
“These state-of-the-art 3D+ technologies enable doctors to create precise replicas of real or actual heart or any organ, facilitating in-depth study and preparation before actual surgery. The application of these technologies is set to revolutionize medicine by enabling precise surgical planning, customized prosthetics and implants, development of innovative medical devices, and enhanced medical education and training,” he says.
Amrita Hospital in Kochi houses India's first "point of care" medical 3D printing and virtual reality laboratory. This advanced facility is one of the few of its kind and is now being utilized by multiple medical specialties to provide precision and personalized medicine to patients.