HoloCare Launches 3D Surgical Holograms Targeting UK & Europe Markets

3D surgical holograms platform is being rolled out at five hospitals, including Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK & Oslo University Hospital, Norway.

HoloCare, a Norwegian healthtech startup, has launched 3D surgical holograms for the UK and Europe markets. This platform, which is powered by mixed reality and AI, will initially be implemented in five hospitals to aid in pre-surgical planning.

HoloCare’s software creates interactive 3D holograms of an individual patient’s organ, allowing surgeons to precisely plan and personalise surgeries to the patient’s unique anatomy.

This move comes after the startup received the UKCA and CE certifications, which means HoloCare has been assessed to meet high safety, health, and environmental protection requirements.

Sharing thoughts, Alison Sundset, CEO, HoloCare, said, ‘’This CE Mark is an important moment for HoloCare, signalling confidence (as well as compliance) in our solution and setting the scene for an exciting next chapter, as we look to scale across Europe – and ultimately beyond! I’m very proud to be partnering with incredible hospitals and research partners in our mission to advance medical imaging, and improve patient outcomes in surgery.”

Decoding 3D Surgical Holograms

Key features of HoloCare’s 3D surgical holograms include:

Interactive 3D holograms: The software creates interactive 3D holograms of an individual patient’s organ, allowing surgeons to precisely plan and personalise surgeries to the patient’s unique anatomy.

Improved Efficiency and Accuracy: This better spatial understanding could support surgeons to carry out operations more efficiently and accurately, helping improve wait times, patient surgery outcomes, and clinician wellbeing.

Application in Complex Liver Surgery: The technology will initially be available to improve the quality of planning for complex liver surgery (liver resections)– where part of the liver tissue is removed – which is commonly used in the treatment of liver cancer (19% of UK treatments) and bowel cancer (26.1% of UK treatments).

Hologram’s Clinical Research

In order to gain CE mark approval, HoloCare has completed clinical research in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital to assess the outcomes of its technology in a clinical setting. The results of this research will be published soon.

Professor Bjørn Edwin, section manager & professor, Intervention Center, Oslo University Hospital, has been using HoloCare’s software as part of the clinical research study.

He said, “As a surgeon specialising in minimally invasive surgery, HoloCare’s software has transformed the way I approach operations. I’m able to zoom in on the intricacies of a patient’s anatomy, to plan exactly how I will approach a surgery in the most efficient (and least invasive) way. I’ve worked closely with HoloCare’s team to really test the technology to its limits, and have seen promising results.”

Currently, HoloCare is launching the AI 3D surgical holograms platform at five UK and European hospitals, including Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK and Oslo University Hospital, Norway.

However, going forward, the startup targets to launch it in 10 more European hospitals by the end of this year.

Founded in 2016, HoloCare began as a research collaboration between the Oslo University Hospital Intervention Centre and Sopra Steria, including multiple research partners. The startup aims to transform how surgeons see medical images by bringing them to life as intuitive, interactive holograms.

3D Tech Revolutionising Healthcare

Recently, KMC Hospital's Center of Excellence for Technology-Assisted Reconstructive Surgery unveiled its pioneering 3D Designing and Printing Lab. In collaboration with CTARS, this facility promises to reshape healthcare practices in coastal Karnataka and northern Kerala.

The 3D lab, a pioneer in this region, introduces a tangible approach to medical diagnostics. For instance, when dealing with a lower jaw tumour, traditional imaging diagnostics are complemented by a 3D model, offering immediate and hands-on insights into the nature of the condition.

This advancement brings forth services including pre-surgical planning, educational tools, and personalised guides and implants. Such capabilities are set to elevate surgical precision, resulting in enhanced clinical outcomes.

In another development in August, IIT Guwahati researchers led by Dr Partho Sarathi Gooh Pattader developed a method for detecting specific bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections (UTIs). This device offers rapid and accurate results, addressing a critical need in medical diagnostics. Further, the device's adaptability to different types of bacteria amplifies its potential impact on primary healthcare.