ST. PETERSBURG, FL (February 15, 2021)- Northside Hospital is now offering spine surgery with a groundbreaking augmented reality (AR) guidance system that allows surgeons to “see through” a patient’s anatomy as if they have “x-ray vision.”
Similar to a real-time GPS, this “see-through” technology lets surgeons know where to place implants in a patient’s unique anatomy, bringing a new standard of personalization and care to the operating room. The new technology is unique in allowing surgeons to maintain their focus directly on the patient, rather than on a distant screen displaying the patient’s anatomy.
“I really enjoyed using Northside Hospital’s new system which allows me to see a complete 3D anatomy of the spine while performing surgery, “said Thomas Nienke, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Northside Hospital. “By using the system it made placing the pedicle screws safer and more efficient. This technology allows myself and the surgical team to perform minimally invasive spine procedures with more precision thus lowering the risks associated with traditional surgeries and improving patient outcomes.”
The spine system consists of a transparent near-eye-display headset and all elements of a traditional navigation system. It accurately determines the position of surgical tools, in real-time, and superimposes them on the patient’s CT data. The navigation data is then projected allowing the surgeon to simultaneously look at both the patient and the navigation data.
“We are excited to be on the forefront of surgical innovation by offering AR-guided spine surgery to our surgeons and patients’” said Valerie Powell-Stafford, CEO Northside Hospital. “This forward thinking technology leads to effective, faster and safer surgeries for our patients.”
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About Northside Hospital
Serving the community since 1976, Northside Hospital is a 288-bed hospital, offering a full range of services including comprehensive and interventional stroke care, preventative and corrective cardiac care, full-service orthopedic and spine treatment an ER 24/7®, and general surgery. As one of the first hospitals in the area to achieve Atrial Fibrillation Certification (SCPC), our technologically advanced hospital allows our highly skilled physicians, nursing, and caregivers to serve our growing community. Northside Hospital is the first nationally recognized Comprehensive Stroke Center in Pinellas County and nationally recognized for quality and safety by earning an ‘A’ Patient Safety grade from the Leapfrog Group Spring 2020 and 2021. Our employees voted us a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2020. With campus-based specialized services including the Tampa Bay Heart Institute and the Neuroscience Institute for Interventional Neuroradiology and neurologic care, Northside Hospital continues to enhance and expand its services to better serve the community.