Would you trust a robot with your heart?
A one-of-a-kind robotic navigation system used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation is proving to be effective on people as old as 80 – and the unique medical discovery hails right here in Australia.
A one-of-a-kind robotic navigation system used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation is proving to be effective on people as old as 80 – and the unique medical discovery hails right here in Australia.
The robotic heart surgery, performed at Flinders University in South Australia, allows surgeons to see a 3D-map of the heart and control the operation from outside the theatre, lowering exposure to radiation by as much as 40% for patients and 80% for doctors.
Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition which affects more than 150,000 Australians, and is characterised by an irregular heartbeat due to abnormal electrical impulses arising in the atrium.
The atrium is the top chamber of the heart that contracts with each electrical signal, which if irregular, means the heart does not effectively pump blood around the body.
Flinders University associate professor Andrew McGavigan, who has performed 50 heart surgeries using the robot since its creation last March, told DPS Publishing untreated atrial fibrillation would cause blood to “form pools” and become stagnant, leading to blood clots.
“If those blood clots leave the heart and go to the brain, for example, that causes a stroke,” Professor McGavigan explained.
He said the robotic navigator was easier to control compared to performing the surgery manually, and added it was also easier to “give that degree of precision”.
“Once we’ve got all the catheters in the heart, we then leave the operating theatre, set the robotic arm, and then using a three-dimensional joystick, I can navigate the ablation catheter anywhere within the chamber of interest,” he said.
Surgeons alternate at the controls to avoid fatigue during the five hour operation.
Professor McGavigan said the surgery would benefit people of all ages who suffer with the condition.
“There is certainly no age limit as to who can and can’t have the surgery. Anything that can improve the operation experience for patients must be a good sign,” he said.
