AR headsets are reshaping OR operations with lower costs, higher precision

Editor's Note

Surgeons across top US health systems are swapping traditional monitors and even robotic systems for augmented reality (AR) headsets, which are streamlining procedures, enhancing precision, and slashing costs, Modern Healthcare May 27 reports.

As detailed in the article, AR headsets are rapidly emerging as valuable surgical tools. From UC Davis to Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and Henry Ford Health, clinicians are integrating AR to visualize anatomy, navigate instruments, and manipulate 3D surgical plans in real time—all while reducing reliance on costly hardware. Depending on the model, headsets range from $300 to $150,000, significantly undercutting the multimillion-dollar price tags of traditional robotic systems.

At UC Davis Health, Microsoft’s HoloLens headset is used to project surgical plans directly onto the patient. Previously reliant on 3D-printed skull models costing up to $6,000 and surgical navigation systems priced at $100,000, the UC Davis surgical team can now replace these tools with the far less expensive headset in many cases. Though surgeons still require tactile feedback from physical models in complex cases, experts praised the headsets’ interactive capabilities as “hard to beat.”

Stanford Hospital is also exploring the technology. In March 2024, a cardiologist performed an atrial fibrillation ablation using an Apple Vision Pro headset adapted by Stanford’s innovation team. As the article explains, the device condensed visual data from up to seven monitors—each costing around $10,000—into a single $4,000 headset. Future iterations may let surgeons rotate 3D heart models with voice or gesture commands, further improving workflow and autonomy.

Spinal surgery is another area of AR adoption. A surgeon at Johns Hopkins has completed over 200 spinal procedures using Augmedics’ xvision headset. While the device costs $150,000, it is still vastly cheaper than robotic systems that can exceed $2 million. Experts noted that AR preserves the tactile experience lost with robotic surgery, a critical factor in surgical accuracy and safety. Similarly, a Henry Ford Health surgeon has used the OnPoint Surgical System headset in some 70 spinal procedures. The headset overlays surgical plans onto the patient and improves screw placement accuracy. Better precision reportedly has shortened surgery times and enabled faster patient recovery, leading the system to begin phasing out robotics in favor of AR.

Though early outcomes are promising, the article emphasizes that broader adoption will depend on further validation and procedural integration. Still, AR’s potential to reduce OR costs and improve clinical precision positions it as a powerful tool in the surgical tech space.