Assessing the Effect of Augmented Reality on Procedural Outcomes During Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access

Augmented reality devices are increasingly accepted in health care, though most applications involve education and pre-operative planning. A novel augmented reality ultrasound application, HoloUS, was developed for the Microsoft HoloLens 2 to project real-time ultrasound images directly into the user's field of view. In this work, we assessed the effect of using HoloUS on vascular access procedural outcomes.

A single-center user study was completed with participants with (N = 22) and without (N = 12) experience performing ultrasound-guided vascular access. Users completed a venipuncture and aspiration task a total of four times: three times on study day 1, and once on study day 2 between 2 and 4 weeks later. Users were randomized to use conventional ultrasound during either their first or second task and the HoloUS application at all other times. Task completion time, numbers of needle re-directions, head adjustments and needle visualization rates were recorded.

For expert users, task completion time was significantly faster using HoloUS (11.5 s, interquartile range [IQR] = 6.5-23.5 s vs. 18.5 s, IQR = 11.0-36.5 s; p = 0.04). The number of head adjustments was significantly lower using the HoloUS app (1.0, IQR = 0.0-1.0 vs. 3.0, IQR = 1.0-5.0; p < 0.0001). No significant differences were identified in other measured outcomes.

This is the first investigation of augmented reality-based ultrasound-guided vascular access using the second-generation HoloLens. It demonstrates equivalent procedural efficiency and accuracy, with favorable usability, ergonomics and user independence when compared with traditional ultrasound techniques.