FLORENCE, ITALY – Two surgeons at the Careggi teaching hospital in Florence used Google Glass during an operation to extract a human liver for transplant, the Region of Tuscany said on Friday.
The digital hands-free eyewear allowed surgeons to use voice commands to view images which helped reduce the time of the surgery. That, in turn, lessened the risk of complications as well as recording images that can later be used for teaching purposes.
The project was sponsored by the Tuscan Organization for Transplants and the Tuscan chapter of the Italian Organ.
Google Glass is a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD). It was developed by Google with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. Wearers communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.
Several proofs of concept for Google Glass have been proposed in healthcare. Google Glass being used in a hospital first time in December 2013 with Medopad, a London, UK based mobile health solution provider. With the Medopad application for Glass, doctors can access patient records, check live patient vitals, collaborate by sharing what they are viewing in surgery with up to 5 other doctors, and record video or take pictures.