Mark Peretti
Gore’s augmented reality (AR) experience app, which is available on both Apple and Android platforms, provides interactive 3D holograms of the company’s endovascular devices, such as the Excluder conformable abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) endoprosthesis, and is designed to be used as a high-res, anatomically correct visual aid that can be understood by both clinical and non-clinical audiences. Mark Peretti, brand leader of Gore’s Medical Products Division, speaks to BIBA Briefings about the app.
Why do you think is there is need for an app such as the Gore AR app?
Prior to the release of the Gore AR experience app, physicians did not have an easy-to-use digital tool for their educational efforts with their patients. They relied on plastic anatomical models, static illustrations, or sketches that they created. The app has been designed to help facilitate conversations between physicians and patients, as well as between patients and their families or significant others. Our app brings the patient discussion to life, providing an interactive, 3D visual of where the product sits inside the body. By seeing a medical device in anatomical context, patients will hopefully have a better understanding not just of a procedure but, potentially, also of the condition itself that needs addressing—and of the device itself that is being implanted in their body.
Furthermore, patient expectations are changing and patients are increasingly seeking their own information to better inform their medical decisions. However, very few easy-to-use digital tools to help physicians explain procedures to patients are available. Our AR experience app is designed to be a response to patient expectations for easily digestible information about their health, and to physicians that seek a cutting-edge, easy-to-use tool to help with those communications.
What procedures does the app cover?
The app itself is not procedure-specific. It currently features several of our endovascular devices that are commercially available in Europe and the USA:
- Gore Excluder Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis with Active Control System (CE mark only)
- Gore Excluder Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis (CE mark and FDA approved)
- Gore TAG Conformable Thoracic Stent Graft with Active Control System (CE mark and FDA approved)
- Gore Viabahn Endoprosthesis with Heparin Bioactive surface (FDA approved only)
- Gore Viabahn Endoprosthesis with Propaten Bioactive Surface (CE mark only)
- Gore Viabahn VBX Balloon-Expandable Endoprosthesis (CE mark and FDA approved)
What information does the app provide?
It provides interactive 3D holograms of our endovascular devices. It illustrates the devices’ functionality and shows where they would be implanted within the body. What we are aiming to do, essentially, is to provide a high-res, anatomically correct visual aid that can be understood by both clinical and non-clinical audiences.
The app was designed to facilitate physician-patient communication and also help patients and their families understand where the device would be used. With this app, physicians can sit side-by-side with patients and discuss the procedure they are recommending using either a tablet or smartphone, and patients can do the same with family members.
What are the potential pitfalls of providing medical information via an app and how they can be avoided?
The app does not provide medical advice. As mentioned, it is a digital resource to help facilitate conversations between physicians and patients, as well as between patients and their families or significant others. The app illustrates the devices’ functionality and shows where they would be implanted within the body. Therefore, the aim of the app is to aid to discussion with medical professionals rather than replace them.
Are there plans to expand the app to include other procedures?
Yes! The app features several of our recent innovations. As we continue to innovate and receive commercial approvals, we will expand the selection of devices available on the app.
