Virtual and Augmented Reality in Cardiac Surgery
Arian Arjomandi Rad, Robert Vardanyan, Aleksandra Lopuszko, Christina Alt, Ingo Stoffels, Bastian Schmack, Arjang Ruhparwar, Konstantin Zhigalov, Alina Zubarevich, Alexander Weymann
Abstract
Virtual and augmented reality can be defined as a three-dimensional real-world simulation allowing the user to directly interact with it. Throughout the years, virtual reality has gained great popularity in medicine and is currently being adopted for a wide range of purposes. Due to its dynamic anatomical nature, permanent drive towards decreasing invasiveness, and strive for innovation, cardiac surgery depicts itself as a unique environment for virtual reality. Despite substantial research limitations in cardiac surgery, the current literature has shown great applicability of this technology, and promising opportunities.