Apple Vision Pro Makes its European OR Debut

The future of orthopedic surgery has arrived.

Two Cromwell Hospital spine specialists in the United Kingdom recently became the first in their country and Europe to use the Apple Vision Pro in a surgical procedure. Fady Sedra, M.D., and Syed Aftab used the augmented reality headset to perform two microsurgical spine procedures. 

“At Cromwell Hospital, we are committed to innovation and improving how healthcare is delivered to benefit all patients, whether it is through harnessing robotic or AI technology, or using the latest, evidence-based approaches to deliver care,” Cromwell Hospital Chief Operating officer Kate Bovell stated.

Introduced to the hospital by eXeX, a developer of artificial intelligence and spatial computing for surgical organization and workflow optimization, the Apple Vision Pro “seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world and unlocks powerful spatial experiences in visionOS, controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible—a user’s eyes, hands, and voice,” Apple stated upon the product’s U.S. launch last month. Apple CEO Tim Cook called the headset the “most advanced consumer electronics device ever created.” 

Cromwell Hospital and eXeX partnered in 2023 to introduce AI and spatial computing technology to the hospital’s operating theaters to help optimize surgical procedures such as equipment setup, inventory control, and resource allocation optimization. eXeX’s software offers nurses and technicians holographic and touch-free access to the surgical setup and the procedural guides from within the sterile field of the operating theatre, granting them access to data and visualization that was previously never available. The platform has significantly increased the efficiency of surgical delivery, with equipment and workflow accuracy, improving patient outcomes.

“Working with eXeX to use the Apple Vision Pro has made a huge difference to the way we deliver care to our patients. The software is seamless and has improved efficiency within the Complex Spine team, said Atab, a consultant orthpedic spinal surgeon. “It’s a real privilege to be the first team in the U.K. and Europe to use this software within surgery, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this technology advances and the impact it can have across hospitals in the UK.”

The Apple Vision Pro has a $3,499.99 starting price tag. 
 
New York, N.Y.-based eXeX was founded in 2022 and is dedicated to optimizing surgical procedures, making them safer, more efficient, and more accurate. Its current technology platform has been utilized so far in more than 1,500 surgeries in several leading U.K. and U.S. hospitals.