A robot performing cardiac surgery?

There are two types of robotic surgery technologies which have recently been introduced to hospitals for catheter insertion and treatment of arrhythmia - the Sensei Robotic Catheter System by Hansen Medical and the Stereotaxis system. These systems are equipped with a joystick that the cardiologist uses to advance and maneuver a catheter, guided by 3-D images generated fluoroscopically. In the case of the Stereotaxis system, the catheter is guided by a magnetic navigation system.



Hansen Medical System




Stereotaxis System

Both robotic systems boast that they are more accurate and precise, as well as offer more steady "hands" to control the catheter, than strictly human guided catheter insertion. These devices are used to treat arrhythmia by ablating specific areas of the heart to alter the paths taken by the electrical currents that cause cardiac muscle contractions, and thereby alter the way the heart beats, hopefully for the better.

The Hansen system was just approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year, and is currently used in seven hospitals in the US, while the Stereotaxis system has been on the market for more than two years.

http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/01/27/0127robot.html
http://www.hansenmedical.com/products/default.aspx
http://www.stereotaxis.com/Products-Technology/