Use of extended realities in interventional cardiology: mixed reality for TAVI procedure

Abstract

To the Editor, A novel aspect of medical imaging visualization are the so-called extended realities, a term that includes a plethora of very different technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. The latter being the most recent one of all. The ultimate feature of mixed reality headsets is their capacity to perceive the real world while mixing virtual models to complement the sources of information traditionally available. In principle, there are multiple possible applications to the medical field being particularly interesting their integration into surgical and interventional procedures. Currently, the main limitation preventing their clinical applicability is that no commercial applications remain available in the market for users. Also that, for every specific new case, specific solutions need to be developed. In the context of the «3D Augmented Reality Cath Lab» research project (the HAMMOND project) only 1 preliminary clinical experience integrating the mixed reality HoloLens 2 headset (Microsoft, United States) has taken place (figure 1) in the percutaneous coronary intervention setting. Prior to the research ethics committee approval (CASVE-PI-GR-20-2001) a mixed reality application was developed for cardiac catheterization care that was tried in 9 patients treated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Figure 1. HoloLens extended mixed reality headset 2. The descriptive...