Potential use of virtual and augmented reality technologies in modern cardiology and cardiac surgery

Innovative technologies have dramatically changed medical practice, particularly in cardiac surgery, which requires precision and caution due to the challenging nature of procedures. The use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in this area has great potential to improve surgical planning, medical education and patient outcomes. This review analyzes the literature on the role of VR and AR in modern cardiology and discusses possible directions for their development. The search retrieved 3,858 publications from PubMed/MEDLINE, 69 publications from eLibrary, and 1,115 publications from Google Scholar. Searches included the following keywords and combinations thereof: virtual reality; augmented reality; cardiology; cardiac surgery. Publications were searched from the time the relevant databases were created to May 2024. Cardiac care today involves increasingly sophisticated procedures that require a high level of expertise. VR becomes a powerful tool for both surgical planning and education. It opens new opportunities for educating and training cardiologists. It can be used to create realistic simulations of situations healthcare professionals may encounter in their practice. Students are able to gain hands on experience with no risk to real patients. Integrating virtual reality into cardiology practice has great potential, but several issues need to be addressed. Standards for safety and efficacy of the medical use of virtual reality should be developed. Further research is also needed to assess the long term health effects of VR use on patients.