The digital heart–lung unit: applications of exponential technology

Exponential technologies such as virtual reality (VR), computational modelling, and additive manufacturing have emerged in the field of cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. An increasing number of publications that evaluate the clinical role of these technologies are becoming available. Moreover, there is an increase in the number of hospitals and departments that have implemented digital and exponential solutions in clinical workflow. In our centre, we have adopted various exponential technologies in order to improve clinical pre-procedural workflow, patient care, and training and education. In order to provide our view and approach on the implementation of these technologies, in this article, we provide an overview of the currently applied modalities including immersive VR, three-dimensional (3D) computational modelling, VR-based simulations, and additive manufacturing (3D printing). Moreover, we present the potential of these applications in cardiovascular and cardiothoracic medicine, and additionally, we will provide key facilitators, challenges, and recommendations to adopting these technologies in clinical practice.