Use of smart glasses for ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access: a randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract

Objective Smart glasses can provide sonographers with real-time ultrasound images. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the utility of smart-glasses for ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access. Methods In this randomized, crossover-design, simulation study, 12 participants were recruited from the emergency department residents at a university hospital. Each participant attempted ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access on a pediatric phantom at intervals of 5 days with (glasses group) or without (non-glasses group) the use of smart glasses. In the glasses group, participants confirmed the ultrasound image through the lens of the smart glasses. In the nonglasses group, participants confirmed the ultrasound image through the display viewer located next to the phantom. Procedure time was regarded as the primary outcome, while secondary outcomes included the number of head movements for the participant, number of skin punctures, number of needle redirections, and subjective difficulty. Results No significant differences in procedural time were observed between the groups (nonglasses group: median time, 15.5 seconds; interquartile range [IQR], 10.3 to 27.3 seconds; glasses group: median time, 19.0 seconds; IQR, 14.3 to 39.3 seconds; P=0.58). The number of head movements was lower in the glasses group than in the non-glasses group (glasses group: median, 0; IQR, 0 to 0; non-glasses group: median, 4; IQR, 3 to 5; P<0.01). No significant differences in the number of skin punctures or needle restrictions were observed between the groups. Conclusion Our results indicate that smart-glasses may aid in ensuring ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access by reducing head movements.

Smart Glasses for Radial Arterial Catheterization in Pediatric Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Previously, smart glasses, which are alternative video displays for medical practice, decreased the head movement between the ultrasound screen and procedure field in simulated adult vascular access. 12,13 However, smart glasses failed to show any positive effects on success rate, procedure time, and number of attempts. Factors such as small sample size, less experienced participants such as medical students or residents in ultrasound-guided vascular access, low technical difficulty of the central venous catheterization simulator and peripheral vascular phantom, and the time lag of the head-mounted display would have caused negative results.…”

“…Previous studies have shown the effect of head-mounted display on head and neck movement during adult vascular access using a central venous catheterization simulator and a peripheral vascular phantom. 12,13 However, there have been no study on the use of smart glasses for arterial catheterization in pediatric patients. Smart glasses allow the practitioner to coordinate the ultrasound screen, ultrasound probe, and catheter needle without head movement.…”

Smart glasses display device for fluoroscopically guided minimally invasive spinal instrumentation surgery: a preliminary study

“…Kaneko et al and Lim et al examined the merits of using smart glasses during an ultrasound-guided procedure in their randomized control studies, and these investigators concluded that smart glasses improved ergonomic efficiency by reducing head movements. 4,6 In the field of neurospine surgery, several attempts to use smart glasses displays as an intraoperative neuromonitor, 8 endoscopic monitor, 9 or 3D navigation screen have been reported. Yoon et al investigated the feasibility of streaming navigation images onto smart glasses during pedicle screw placement.…”

“…In the literature, some authors have reported the advantages of using smart glasses in terms of improved accuracy and reduced time during various surgical procedures. [2][3][4][5][6] Although minimally invasive surgery has become a popular technique and offers many benefits to both surgeons and patients, these techniques depend heavily on indirect visualization and fluoroscopic navigation guidance. We hypothesized that the utilization of device-assisted glasses for the placement of minimally invasive spinal instrumentation might improve the safety of the surgery.…”

Smart Glasses to Facilitate Ultrasound Guided Peripheral Intravenous Access in the Simulation Setting for Thai Emergency Medical Service Providers

“…Smart glasses innovation has been deployed and examined across various clinical settings and healthcare facilities over the past ten years including PIVC and EMS settings. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] This technology enables real-time teleconsultation utilizing a videoconferencing platform, data presentation on the see-through optical display, and recording of photos or videos with a front-facing camera, among many other features. The development of smart glasses allows the procedure to be live-streamed to a display monitor (tablet computer or specific display monitor) with the medical staff with greater levels of expertise in Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS).…”