SoftAcuity
Tomorrow’s Operating Rooms Will Be AI-Powered

Today’s operating rooms are undergoing rapid change as data, sensors, and AI technologies bring new power and efficiency to the surgical environment. The surgical landscape is shifting away from a world where devices in the OR are disconnected and passive to one where computing power and AI live at the edge, where clinical teams can harness insights and actionable data to deliver the highest quality of patient care more effectively than ever before.

SoftAcuity is leading this new wave of smart OR technology with its innovative surgical display platform, ELSA. Unlike any surgical display on the market, ELSA’s patent-pending integrated hardware and software intelligence platform puts the power of AI directly into the hands of the surgical team.

“In the same way that smartphones put the power of ten different devices in our pocket, ELSA unifies the complexity of an OR into one integrated, smart display,” says Bruce Kennedy, SoftAcuity founder and CEO.

Kennedy is no stranger to the difficulties of building innovative products for the operating room, having previously designed the Synergy Imaging System, which combined several surgical imaging devices into one. Global medical device leader Arthrex acquired the company and Kennedy went on to successfully scale that line of business for over 10 years.

Kennedy took inspiration from his previous success identifying inefficiencies in the OR to create ELSA. He realized that to have the greatest positive impact on the surgeons and nurses in the OR, ELSA would have to leverage the most advanced technologies available in audio/video capture, data and video processing, and AI.

ELSA combines the highest quality medical grade 4K/HDR display with built-in HD cameras, a best-in-class microphone array and a 2.1 speaker system. This powerful combination allows SoftAcuity to fundamentally change the way the clinical team interacts with OR technology. Even in a noisy OR, clinicians can now manage their operating room with only their voice, using ELSA’s rich voice control capabilities to rapidly access clinical information, sensor data, communication apps and AI powered tools and insights.

ELSA also includes built-in sensors to track room temperature, humidity and air quality to help guarantee a safe operating room environment at all times.

On their own, the combination of these capabilities into a single platform would create a significant step forward in the efficiency and quality of OR procedures. But there is more to ELSA than cameras, microphones, and sensors. ELSA’s full potential comes from its connectivity and data processing power. Equipped with wireless networking capabilities (4G/5G) and NVIDIA’s industry leading edge GPU, ELSA can be the digital assistant that instantly connects the OR to the people, data and tools needed to improve pre-, intra-, and post-op workflows and deliver optimal patient care.

The ELSA software is designed from the ground up to be intuitive and easy to use, enabling OR staff to quickly augment their workflows with helpful and useful apps and data. Without needing a workstation, the OR team can use ELSA to quickly pull up a preference card with details on the day’s procedures, or query EHR systems for accurate patient data, search external clinical databases to augment decision making or launch telemedicine calls with clinical experts outside the OR.

In the same way that smartphones put the power of ten different devices in our pocket, ELSA unifies the complexity of an OR into one integrated, smart display.

Capitalizing on the power of AI apps in the OR, the ELSA platform can run cutting-edge AI models on live sensor and device data feeds to add data driven context to what is happening in real-time. It can also record and store the video, audio, and device data of every procedure for future diagnostic, clinical training, or risk management purposes. Bringing together all of ELSA’s technologies into an accessible and versatile smart display platform unlocks tremendous potential for what is possible in the OR.

This potential has enabled SoftAcuity to establish partnerships with preeminent global leaders in healthcare and technology like Barco and NVIDIA to bring new AI-powered tools to ORs worldwide. The company is also garnering strong attention from some of the biggest names in cloud computing and AI such as Amazon, who see SoftAcuity and the ELSA platform as a high potential channel to bring medical-grade voice and generative AI capabilities into the OR to enhance patient safety, augment clinical decision-making and improve clinical outcomes. SoftAcuity’s innovative platform is at the forefront of changing how surgical procedures are performed, through integrated technology, AI powered insights and accessible clinical data.