Sutureless aortic valves

The presented surgical robot (called ValveTech) provides a highly controllable instrument for efficient delivery of an artificial valve under integrated endoscopic vision. The flexible manipulator has several features to help the proper valve placement. It provides five degrees of freedom for reaching the operative site via mini-thoracotomy where it adjusts the valve and expands it at the optimal position. The robot was evaluated by ten cardiac surgeons in a simulated surgical scenario: the ValveTech robot proved to be an alternative solution for targeted surgery; improving the quality of the valve implantation both for surgeons and patients. read more