Augmented and Mixed Reality in Cardiac Surgery: A Narrative Review.

ABSTRACT: Background: Augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) promise to enhance anatomical understanding, spatial orientation, and workflow in cardiac surgery. Their clinical adoption remains limited and the translational path is incompletely defined. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted by two independent reviewers from database inception through July 2025 and identified peer-reviewed, English-language articles describing peri- or intra-operative AR/MR applications in cardiac surgery. Relevant clinical, preclinical, technical, and review articles were selected for inclusion based on scope and content. Given the narrative approach and heterogeneity across studies, findings were synthesized qualitatively into application domains. Results: Fourteen studies were included.

SUBMITTER: Sarantopoulos A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12898313 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature