Every day in the UK around 13 babies are diagnosed with congenital heart disease - heart conditions that develop in the womb, before a baby is born. Depending on the severity of their condition, they might need one or more procedures to help their hearts function normally.
Now Kings College London researchers have developed a way of bringing together the scans that are routinely used to plan congenital heart disease surgery to create a three-dimensional, beating digital double of the heart.
The researchers hope that using VR to plan and practise procedures will shorten operating times and reduce the need for multiple surgeries, leading to better outcomes and experiences for patients and their families. They hope that it could be in regular use within the next two years.
“We have had a lot of help from the fantastic team at King’s Medical Engineering Quality Management System, who are helping us to move the device through from a prototype to a nationally...