Not more than a week passed since our review of the inHEART system, and a new innovation comes to the EP lab. SentiAR takes standard views from electroanatomic mapping systems (EAMS) and brings them out of the screen and right in front of the cardiologist!
SentiAR: Eyes high, hands off
With the SentiAR, the conventional EAMS feed is transformed into a hologram about a meter in front of the doctor. The best thing about this system is that the stunning view is paired with gaze control. This means that in order to zoom, rotate or even move the electrodes, doctors need only move their eyes.
More than a flashy gizmo
The SentiAR proved itself in a short study. In this experiment, two doctors tried to perform some skilful actions with the EP system – with and without the SentiAR tool. Although the SentiAR didn’t reduce the time needed for each action, it really increased doctors’ accuracy. Keeping in mind that most lesions that doctors need to destroy during an EP study are smaller than 6mm, even a small precision gain goes a long way.
Are screens on the way to obsolescence?
Ask Drs and Dr. Silva, the minds behind SentiAR, and their answer is clear – screens will be a thing of the past sometime in the future. AI-enhanced AR will enable almost impossible feats of speed and finesse in the EP lab. How soon this change will come will come down to how fast this tech proves itself. In sharp contrast to other fields of technology, you can’t go fast and break things in medicine. Not only that – it’ll also take teaching old dogs electrophysiologists new tricks.
Although awesome, SentiAR is still in early development. It’ll take larger studies with actual clinical use to prove that there is benefit over what we use right now. As always, the Fantastrial team will keep you posted.