Not just fun and games, Apple’s Vision Pro headset used to perform surgeries in India

In what could be the most unique use-case of the Apple Vision Pro headset, a team of surgeons in India has performed at least 30 laparoscopic surgeries (including stomach cancer, and gall bladder surgeries) with very high levels of precision and surgeon comfort, using the features offered by the Cupertino-based tech firm's latest wearable device. Launched in February 2024, this wearable device from Apple is regarded as an offering for work and personal entertainment in a mixed-reality setting. 

Laparoscopic or keyhole surgeries are performed by making a small cut in the patient's abdomen and inserting a tube-like camera to get a real-time video from inside the body. This internal view from the tubular camera is displayed on a surgical monitor, which helps the surgeons and their team to carefully carry out the procedure. 

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"Usually, we have a single 55-inch 4K resolution surgical monitor in the operation theatre. Two surgeons and two support staff must view that single monitor, which means that each one needs to turn towards the monitor and watch the real-time video. This requires more time and effort from the operating team," Dr. R. Parthasarathi, Surgical Gastroenterologist & COO, GEM Hospitals told WION. For more than two months, he has been using the Apple Vision Pro headset for performing laparoscopic and open surgeries. 

Whatever the Laparoscopic probe sees, I can see real-time in my headset, in a mixed reality format. In mixed reality, the user can see both the digitally created image and have full awareness of their real-world surroundings. I can enlarge the view of the patient's internal organs to the size of a wall and see them in the greatest detail, Dr. Parthasarathy adds. 

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While performing the surgery, Dr. Parthasarathi uses the Apple Vision Pro, while his assistants view the video on the standard 4K monitor. 

Queried about the other advantages of using this device, he told WION that the headset can virtually show the user multiple screens of his/her choice. "While performing the surgery, I keep multiple tabs open and simultaneously view the patient's CT scan, MRI scan and other data, by just looking around. When the need arises, I can also stream the view of this headset to other senior doctors via video calling and seek their opinion," Dr. Parthasarathi said.

Even in the case of open surgeries, where a large incision must be made in the body, we can wear this headset and record the entire procedure using the headset's multiple built-in cameras. This footage can be used to train budding surgeons and medical students, the surgeon adds. 

"The operation theatre has multiple bright lights, and they often cause reflections on the regular display and cause minor inconveniences to the operating team and affect their viewing angles. Viewing a mounted monitor for long time also causes neck strain, whereas the headset offers greater flexibility. While using a mixed reality headset, we get only the actual view, without any visual disturbances and reflections," says Dr. Parthasarathi.  

Launched in February 2024, Apple's $3499 Vision Pro headset is not officially available in India. The team of surgeons from Chennai say that they have written to Apple and to multiple Apple-user forums regarding how this mixed reality cum spatial computing device has been useful for surgical procedures. They are awaiting a response from the California-based Tech firm.