Pneumatic actuated robotic assistant system for aortic valve replacement under MRI guidance

Area of Science:

• Medical Robotics
• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:

• Transapical aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure.
• Current TAVR procedures are performed manually within the MRI bore.
• Robotic assistance could improve precision and safety in TAVR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a pneumatic actuated robotic assistant system for TAVR under MRI guidance.
• To integrate real-time MRI, a robotic arm, and a novel valve delivery module.
• To provide intuitive user interfaces for surgical planning and robot manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Development of an MRI-compatible robotic delivery module for various prostheses.
• Integration of an Innomotion arm with a hands-on cooperative interface.
• Implementation of a compact fiducial for image-based robot registration.
• Design of multi-stage user interfaces for the robotic system.

Main Results:

• Successful development of a pneumatic robotic assistant system for TAVR.
• Demonstration of MRI compatibility and precise robotic control.
• Ex-vivo evaluation of system components and overall functionality.

Conclusions:

• The developed robotic system shows promise for enhancing MRI-guided TAVR on beating hearts.
• Robotic assistance can potentially improve the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive cardiac procedures.
• Further in-vivo studies are warranted to validate clinical applicability.