Dartmouth-Hitchcock Surgeon Performs first AI-Assisted Shoulder Replacement
John-Erik Bell, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at NEC member Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, recently performed the first shoulder replacement using the NextAR Shoulder Application. Dr. Bell worked with medical device manufacturer Medacta to develop this revolutionary technology. NextAR Smart Glasses are the first of their kind and use augmented reality to enhance the precision and accuracy of the surgery.
“I’m very proud to have been part of the development, and the first in this country to implement, a new technology that I expect will be widely adopted by orthopedic surgeons worldwide and improve quality of life for many people,” Dr Bell said following the successful surgery.
This technology will allow surgeons to create personalized surgeries for each patient and in return give patients greater function of their shoulders after a replacement. Dr. Bell added, “This new technology now lets me execute my surgical plan even more precisely without having to work from memory or by looking at a computer screen across the room. The augmented reality glasses help guide me by the showing me the exact three-dimensional position of each component of my shoulder replacement surgery in real-time.”
The New England Council congratulates Dr. Bell and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in this advancement. Read more in the New Hampshire Business Review.