Spotlight shines on surgical robot at heart conference

Canada's heart surgeons got a peek on Monday at robots that could make for less bloody operations and faster recoveries in the future.

A surgical robot named da Vinci took centre stage at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Calgary.

Da Vinci normally works with surgeons at the Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics Centre or CSTAR based in London, Ont.

Da Vinci is the future of heart surgery, according to Dr. Alan Menkis, a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher. Menkis presented a study on advances in robotic surgery at the conference.

"We are doing cutting and sewing and sutchering and that sort of thing," said Menkis, who heads the cardiac sciences program at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

"But it's the robotic arms inside the patient that are being controlled by the surgeon at the console that's actually in contact with the patient's tissues."

By using a robot, surgeons can avoid opening up the chest and spreading the ribs. Instead, robots like da Vinci go in through a smaller hole, which causes less trauma to the body.

The objectives are:

• Fewer infections and other complications.
• Faster recovery.
• Less stress to the patient.

Menkis used da Vinci and a small camera to perform heart surgery on Ken Wightman of London eight months ago.

Wightman jokes the team gave him something in common with his classic convertible car. "Valve repairs in the same year."

So far, da Vinci has performed 11 heart valve replacements and several other procedures on a strictly experimental basis.

In the future, the researchers hope the robot could be used to perform surgery in remote locations, with a surgeon at a major centre and a robot at the bedside.

Both Menkis and the Heart and Stroke Foundation noted a robot will never replace the human factor.

For now, the surgical team said they're pleased to gain a robotic grip, clear view and better results.