Systems and methods for visualizing anatomy, locating medical devices, or placing medical devices

A medical device-locating system, comprising:

• a medical-device detector including:
• a magnetic-field generator;
• and
• an array of magnetic sensors embedded within a drape configured for surrounding a limb of a patient in a plurality of planes;
• and
• a console having electronic circuitry including memory and a processor configured to transform magnetic-sensor signals from the array of magnetic sensors into location information for a magnetized medical device within the limb of the patient when the drape surrounds the limb of the patient.

A method of a medical device-placing system, comprising:

• emitting ultrasound signals into a limb of a patient and receiving informational signals from the limb of the patient by way of an ultrasound probe;
• transforming the informational signals with a console having electronic circuitry including memory and a processor to produce ultrasound-image segments corresponding to anatomical structures of the limb of the patient;
• transforming magnetic-sensor signals from an array of magnetic sensors embedded within a drape surrounding the limb of the patient in a plurality of planes with the console into location information for a magnetized medical device within the limb of the patient;
• and
• displaying over the limb of the patient on a see-through display screen of an alternative-reality headset having electronic circuitry including memory and a processor in a frame coupled to the see-through display screen a virtual medical device in accordance with the location information for the medical device within objects of virtual anatomy corresponding to the ultrasound-image segments.