J&J MedTech Unveils Digital Ecosystem for Better Surgical Collaboration

Johnson & Johnson MedTech today unveiled Polyphonic, an open and secure digital ecosystem for a more connected surgical experience. The ecosystem features software applications that are agnostic to data sources and focused on delivering insights at the necessary time(s) and place(s).

The first release, currently available for select hospitals, features Polyphonic Solutions applications for surgical video, telepresence, and planning to help surgeons and their teams increase collaboration within an integrated, user-focused solution purpose-built for healthcare. Future applications will offer an open and secure development platform and marketplace for curated digital solutions. 
 
“What’s next in surgery is a more connected experience for patients, healthcare teams, and hospitals as we bring forward the value of surgical data,” said Hani Abouhalka, company group chairman of Surgery at Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “Building on our network of surgical technologies and surgical software solutions deployed in operating rooms around the world, we are prioritizing collaboration and open innovation for a more human, more adaptive, and more connected surgery experience.” 
 
Targeting Surgical Video Data Volume  
In surgery, software solutions that analyze data can potentially help surgical teams increase collaboration, connect with other experts, and securely share content for greater surgical proficiency.
 
The Polyphonic ecosystem’s initial release accentuates the value of video—a significant surgical data source. One minute of surgical video is equivalent to more than 25 times the amount of data in one high-resolution CT image,¹ offering surgeons a significantly better way to manage, tag, edit, and securely share de-identified video to improve workflow and collaboration before, during, and after procedures. Other first release features include telepresence and case planning capabilities to help address collaboration, peer-training, and the OR workflow efficiency.
 
As part of the beta program for select hospitals, Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoot, The Netherlands, currently is using Polyphonic during surgeries. 
 
“Digital will revolutionize the future of surgery,” said Dr. Ivo Broeders,² a surgeon and artificial intelligence lab leader at Meander Medical Centre. “We proudly stand as pioneers in the digital realm and are excited to be testing this software solution. Together with Johnson & Johnson MedTech, we are shaping the future of surgical excellence and paving the way for transformative advancements in healthcare.”
 
A More Open, Connected Surgical Future 
The Polyphonic ecosystem’s future releases will target the broader digital surgery ecosystem with the Polyphonic Studio for creators and developers and the Polyphonic Store to offer secure access to curated digital solutions.  
 
Polyphonic Studio will build on a secure operating environment to offer data management, advanced analytics, edge compute and connectivity, and design and developer toolkits to make it easier for creators and developers to create and scale surgical software solutions. The Studio will deliver artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, leveraging Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s work with NVIDIA to scale AI for surgery.  
 
The Polyphonic Store will amass curated software solutions in a secure marketplace for Johnson & Johnson MedTech as well as third-party innovation.  
 
“Innovation is accelerating in surgery as medical experts and technologists see the opportunity to improve outcomes by delivering insights at-scale,” said Shan Jegatheeswaran, global vice president of Digital at Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “We are extending our expertise in surgery to create Polyphonic, which offers the technologies that surgeons are asking for today to enable key use cases while building the more open, connected future of digital in surgery.”
 
The Polyphonic ecosystem³ is available in early access to select hospitals only.  
 
Johnson & Johnson MedTech has driven breakthrough scientific innovation for more than a century to address unmet healthcare needs. In surgery, orthopedics, vision, and interventional solutions, the company strives to create a future where healthcare solutions are smarter, less invasive, and more personalized. 

References
¹ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9722565/
² Dr. Broeders is a paid consultant for Johnson & Johnson MedTech.
³ The Polyphonic™ digital ecosystem is not intended to direct surgery, or aid diagnosis or treatment of a disease or condition.