DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUGMENTED REALITY APPROACH FOR CLOSED INTRACARDIAC INTERVENTIONS

Many intracardiac interventions are currently performed after the patient has been placed on cardiopulmonary bypass, and the heart has been arrested. We have developed a new method for operating on multiple targets inside the beating heart. In this procedure, the targets are accessed using a virtual reality (VR)-assisted image-guidance platform that combines real-time ultrasound (US) with a virtual model of the surgical instruments, in the context of the 3D cardiac anatomy. This paper presents preliminary results with respect to the surgeon\´s ability to accurately position and secure an artificial valve to a "valve orifice" within a cardiac phantom, when guidance is performed via US alone, and with US augmented by the VR environment. In addition, we discuss both the advantages and expected challenges this procedure might entail during its translation from the laboratory to the operating room