Cardiolock: an active cardiac stabilizer. First in vivo experiments using a new robotized device

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Medical Robotics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains a technically demanding surgical procedure.
• Current mechanical stabilizers for CABG exhibit significant residual heart motion, limiting their effectiveness.
• Addressing residual motion is crucial for improving surgical precision and patient outcomes in CABG.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel active stabilizer system for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
• To compensate for residual heart motion during the procedure, thereby enhancing surgical stability.
• To assess the feasibility of the active stabilizer in a minimally invasive surgical context.

Main Methods:

• In vivo assessment of heart-stabilizer interaction using an animal model.
• Development of an active stabilization principle based on high-speed vision-based control.
• Integration of a compliant mechanism for motion compensation.
• Experimental validation using a prototype compatible with minimally invasive surgery.

Main Results:

• The interaction between the heart and mechanical stabilizers was successfully characterized in vivo.
• The active stabilization system demonstrated the ability to compensate for residual heart motion.
• Experimental results confirmed the efficacy of the prototype in a relevant surgical setting.

Conclusions:

• The novel active stabilizer offers a promising solution to overcome the limitations of current mechanical stabilizers in off-pump CABG.
• The vision-based active stabilization approach enhances precision by actively compensating for cardiac motion.
• The developed system is suitable for minimally invasive surgical approaches, potentially improving CABG procedures.