Sarasota Memorial Hospital pioneers new tech in operating room

The neurosurgery team at Sarasota Memorial Hospital achieved what officials say was a “technological milestone” in the operating room, combining mixed-reality headsets with virtual mapping software to guide a recent procedure.

Led by neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Knego, the team pioneered the “first-ever commercial use of Apple Vision Pro’s mixed reality headset combined with eXeX’s revolutionary surgical mapping software to digitize and optimize the operating room,” according to a statement from Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.

Apple Vision Pro is a spatial computer equipped with cameras and sensors. eXeX is an AI-enhanced surgical performance software that provides real-time guidance to ensure instruments are at hand and each step is clear; all members of the surgical team are aligned with the surgical procedure map and sequence; and tray setups and checklists are standardized to support consistency.