Virtual reality has a real impact on medical device testing

Passing through the catheter in the heart is very tricky, even if it is done in virtual reality.

When I visited the Medical Equipment Center of the University of Minnesota recently, I found that this operation was really not easy. At the end of my simulation equipment experiment, I have learned to implant a customized lifesaving product into someone's heart, and I have never succeeded in remote operation.

Today, this immersive 3D experience is at the forefront of medical device innovation. By bringing together interaction designers, engineers and medical experts, laboratories around the world are testing the suitability and functionality of stents, artificial hip bones and other medical devices, and implanting virtual copies of whole body organs. Before entering the operating room, they will also practice using specific models of specific organs in their patients.

The Minneapolis Center is at the forefront of this innovation, especially in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. On the ground floor of the laboratory, 200 human hearts are kept in jars, some of which are normal, others with holes, calcification or severe arterial obstruction. Each heart is scanned into a 3D model, so in some cases it would be achievable if a manufacturer wanted to test a device on the same heart as a human patient.

“We can say, take out a calcified heart and design a pacemaker or valve for it,” says Arthur Erdman, director of the Medical Device Center. In this way, researchers and medical device companies can experiment in a world of computer simulations, hoping to minimize side effects in real surgery.

At the University of Minnesota Medical Equipment Center, Dan Keefe is manipulating a heart model.

Virtual reality has a real impact on medical device testing

The technology displays the heart on two large screens: one that lets you drag and drop the device to resize, just like on an iPad; and another that shows you what you are doing on the heart.

According to Dan Keefe, who manages the University of Minnesota Interactive Visualization Lab (in collaboration with the Equipment Testing Center), virtual reality brings a new dawn to simplified testing of medical devices. “We hope it will reduce dependence on animal experiments,” he said.

But this technology is not limited to physical testing. It can also be of great help in training medical professionals.

"It is medically equivalent to the flight simulator used by pilots during training," said Dr. M. Narendra Kini, head of the Miami Nicklaus Children's Hospital, who has been working on applying virtual reality to medical education.

Although virtual reality mainly stays in the academic medical field, there are still many application prospects in other areas of health care. There is a way to show patients exactly the same steps as the surgery and what to follow to alleviate the patient's confusion and worry.

“It will bring more useful ways to our lives,” gaining more recognition,” Kini said. “This technology can be a big help. ”

Fireproof Bag

Fireproof Bag ,Fire Proof Bag,Fireproof Pouch,Fire Resistant Bag

Ningbo Zhaomu Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd. , https://www.bofonhome.com