“Make translucent blood live”: a start-up promises the impossible in the operating room
The hemolcence system of Ocutrx makes it possible to observe hidden structures under a thin layer of blood, as here on an optical sight of precision. © Ocutrx
Innovation might seem like science fiction. And yet, Hemolcence exists. This technology developed by the American company Ocutrx Technologies intends to revolutionize peroperative imagery by offering a direct vision through bodily fluids. Concretely, blood is no longer an obstacle: it becomes a filter that we are going through.
A peroperative image without bloody or rinsing? Yes, it’s possible
Unlike conventional suction or irrigation devices, often essential to obtain a readable operating field, Hemolucence relies on a fine alliance between computational optics and automatic learning. The principle? A stereoscopic camera captures light from the surgical scene from several angles. Then, a digital treatment dissociates the components of the light: what was absorbed by the red blood cells, which was diffused by the tissues, which must be deleted or rebuilt.
Hemolcence technology is based on the digital engine and the owner algorithm of Ocutrx, integrated into the Or – Bob ™ system.
The result displayed in real time is an unprecedented image. The underlying blood fabric becomes readable, up to a depth evaluated between 3 and 13 mm depending on the conditions. The surgeon can thus locate a vessel or a nerve without interrupting his gesture, without resorting to a massive aspiration or a contrast agent.
This is the promise, for the time being confined to the laboratory. No clinical trial has yet been initiated, patents are still under investigation and regulatory validation (FDA or European equivalent) remains a decisive milestone. The company also specifies that “Ocutrx medical products have not yet been evaluated by the FDA or approved under European regulations (CE/MDR), and are not available for sale in the United States.”
But the first feedback from hospital experts, especially at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California, are unequivocal. If technology keeps its commitments, it could improve precision, reduce operating duration and strengthen patient safety.
One question remains: will this new transparency deeply modify surgical practice or will it be reserved for a technological elite? It is the next months that will say it.
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