St. Joseph's Children's Hospital First Children's Hospital in Southeast to Use Virtual Reality Visualization Platform

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Jun 10, 2019, 17:53 ET

TAMPA, Fla., June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa is the first children's hospital in Florida and the only pediatric facility in the Southeast to use the evolutionary Surgical Theater Precision Virtual Reality™ technology in its pediatric neuro and cardiac surgery programs. Using F-16 flight simulator technology, the program fuses and enhances CT and MRI images to create a 360-degree virtual model of a patient's own anatomy.

Using virtual reality headsets and a set of remote controls, Dr. Abilash Haridas, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, is able to guide patients through a 360-degree model of their brain to explain complex conditions and treatment options in a way they can understand.

Using virtual reality imaging technology, Dr. Abilash Haridas, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, can “fly through” a 360-degree model of a patient’s brain. The immersive technology provides pediatric heart and brain surgeons at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital with an unprecedented way to plan and strategize the best route for surgery.

"The immersive technology provides our pediatric heart and brain surgeons with a never-before view of the anatomy and pathology of their patients' complex conditions," said Sarah Naumowich, president of St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. "With this cutting-edge digital tool, our surgeons have an unprecedented way to plan and strategize the best route for surgery."

With virtual reality headsets, surgeons are able to guide a patient through a 360-degree model of their heart or brain to illustrate the condition, treatment options and potential risks in greater detail than ever before.

"Being able to see what the doctor sees provides our patients and their families with a better understanding of the diagnosis, which helps alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that comes with preparing for brain or heart surgery," adds Naumowich.

For more information about the Surgical Theater Precision Virtual Reality™ technology at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, visit: StJoesKidsVR.org.

About St. Joseph's Children's Hospital
As Tampa's only dedicated children's hospital, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital is committed to providing everything needed for the health and well-being of children. Part of the BayCare Health System, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital provides more acute medical and surgical pediatric care than all other hospitals in Hillsborough County. From the tiniest baby to the high school quarterback, patients are cared for by doctors who specialize in treating children, in surroundings designed exclusively for kids.

About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and west central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.BayCare.org.

SOURCE St. Joseph's Children's Hospital