Experience with a new OR dedicated to robotic surgery

Abstract

The use of robotic technology for minimally-invasive cardiac surgery requires a new operating room (OR) environment. Remote surgery is performed by isolating the surgeon in a central control-room, while the surgical manipulator is located in the OR. Due to the complex nature of these new procedures and the limited access that, unlike in open cardiac surgery, no longer allows direct visualisation of the heart, extensive intra-operative monitoring is essential. The OR features an angiography unit that allows multidisciplinary procedures to be carried out in close collaboration with interventional cardiologists.