How virtual reality can help cardiologists treat coronary artery disease
Abbott has released a new virtual reality-based training program to help interventional cardiologists manage patients with coronary artery disease.
The training program combines virtual reality with more traditional techniques to help users learn Abbott’s optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging platform. With OCT, a cardiologist can view the patient’s coronary arteries from inside the vessel.
“Abbott’s new OCT training enables interventional cardiologists to receive more in-depth, experiential training to encourage more precise diagnoses, while healthcare systems will experience cost savings through a reduction in the number of staff training courses needed,” Harvinder Singh, vice president of global commercial operations for Abbott’s vascular business, said in a prepared statement. “Furthermore, the virtual reality training program will not only enhance accuracy to improve patient outcomes, but it also furthers the industry’s adoption of innovative technologies in healthcare.”
“Virtual reality-based training programs are truly changing the way interventional cardiologists learn and adopt new technologies, such as OCT, that are helping physicians make better decisions in the cath lab,” added Nick West, MD, chief medical officer of Abbott’s vascular business. “The program is also furthering Abbott’s ability to use technology and innovations to drive better patient outcomes.”
According to Abbott, similar programs have improved cath lab learning engagement by 45% and knowledge retention by 72%.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.