How Cincinnati Children’s Uses VR & Video Games to Plan Heart Surgery

Why It Matters

By letting surgeons practice on a patient‑specific virtual heart and teaching kids through interactive avatars, Cincinnati Children’s reduces surgical risk while boosting health literacy, a dual benefit that could reshape pediatric care nationwide.

Key Takeaways

• VR headsets let surgeons rehearse pediatric heart procedures virtually.
• 3D models replicate each patient’s heart for precise surgical planning.
• “Hank the Heart” gamifies education on cardiac health for kids.
• Hospital’s game development team won Unity for Humanity award.
• Emerging‑tech role bridges video‑game talent with clinical innovation.

Summary

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Ryan Moore serves as chief emerging‑technologies officer, overseeing the integration of virtual‑reality headsets and video‑game tools into cardiac care. His team creates patient‑specific 3D heart models that surgeons can explore in immersive VR, allowing them to rehearse each step before entering the operating room.

The VR platform enables multiple clinicians to don headsets simultaneously, turning surgical planning into a collaborative “game” where every participant can interact with a lifelike replica of the child’s heart. In parallel, Moore developed “Hank the Heart,” a playful avatar that teaches children about heart health, nutrition, activity, and kindness, leveraging the same gaming aesthetics that appeal to young patients.

Moore highlighted that their educational game recently earned the Unity for Humanity Award, beating more than 500 commercial titles, underscoring the hospital’s ability to produce world‑class interactive experiences. The development team consists of former game‑studio artists and programmers who now apply their expertise to medical visualization and patient education.

The initiative promises shorter operative times, fewer intra‑operative surprises, and higher patient engagement, positioning Cincinnati Children’s as a model for how immersive technology can transform pediatric surgery and health literacy across the healthcare industry.

Original Description

Dr. Ryan Moore, a pediatric cardiologist and Chief Emerging Technologies Officer at Cincinnati Children’s, explains how his team uses emerging tech like virtual reality and 3D printing to help kids. He describes VR as video game technology used to plan surgeries, where surgeons can enter a headset to view a patient-specific heart model and map out each step, with multiple people able to participate together. Moore also shares the story behind “Hank the Heart,” a character he created inspired by his kids’ love of Pokémon, with the name standing for Heart, Activity, Nutrition, and Kindness to teach children about heart health. He says he loves combining patient care, technology, and teaching, and recalls winning the Unity for Humanity Award for a VR heart-surgery training game developed with a team of artists and game developers.

00:00 Meet Dr Ryan Moore

00:18 VR and 3D Tech

00:43 Planning Surgeries in VR

01:37 Hank the Heart

02:13 Why He Loves It

02:35 Winning a VR Game Award

02:58 The Creative Tech Team

03:23 Family and Favorite Gifts

03:57 Final High Five

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Patients & Family Blog: https://blog.cincinnatichildrens.org/

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