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Thursday, April 29, 2010
Robot arm used in heart surgery
9:26 AM | 
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Updated at: 1434 PST, Thursday, April 29, 2010 LONDON: Pioneering heart surgery using a robot arm has been carried out for the first time in the world by a British team.The system was used to correct a "short circuit" in the heart of a patient that was beating too fast. Surgeons at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester identified a rogue piece of conducting tissue that was burned away with a wire probe. The procedure involves using an X-ray to steer a thin tube called a catheter through veins from the groin to the heart. Normally the surgeon conducting the operation stands by the patient's bed shielded from the X-rays by a heavy lead apron. The robot, which attaches to the bed, allows the whole operation to be conducted remotely from a separate room. The surgeon views the X-ray images on a screen while controlling the catheter unencumbered. Very fine movements are possible, allowing highly accurate targeting of the treated tissue. The patient, a 70-year-old man from Burton-upon-Trent, had been brought to the hospital with an atrial heart flutter. The muscle was misfiring electrical signals causing disruption to heartbeat which can raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Tony Blair was treated for a similar problem, carried out by hand, at Hammersmith Hospital in 2004. The disorder causes the heart's atrial chambers to contract in very rapid but weak beats, preventing blood from being pumped efficiently to vital organs. After the procedure, the condition was completely cured. |
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