This study reports the first successful clinical application of a robotic-assisted system in transcatheter balloon-expandable aortic valve implantation using the Edwards SAPIEN 3 valve. Two male patients, aged 60 and 63 years, respectively, presented with severe aortic stenosis confirmed by echocardiography and computed tomography, showing significant valvular calcification and elevated transvalvular pressure gradients, meeting the indications for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Both procedures were performed via the right femoral artery using a robotic-assisted delivery and positioning system developed by Shanghai Surgerii Medical Technology Co., Ltd. The operator controlled the delivery system and valve positioning precisely through the console, while the assistant performed balloon expansion and valve deployment. Both procedures were completed successfully without intraoperative complications. The operative times were 75 minutes and 67 minutes, with fluoroscopy times of 16 minutes and 23 minutes, and radiation doses of 714 mGy and 971 mGy, respectively. Postoperative echocardiography demonstrated well-functioning prosthetic valves, with mean transvalvular pressure gradients of 3.9 mm Hg and 8.0 mm Hg, and none or trivial paravalvular leakage. No coronary obstruction, conduction disturbance, or vascular complications were observed. This report represents the world’s first clinical use of a robotic-assisted system for balloon-expandable TAVI. It confirms the feasibility and safety of robotic assistance in transcatheter valve delivery and positioning, offering a new approach to enhance procedural precision and stability, and providing valuable insights for the future development of intelligent, minimally invasive therapies for structural heart disease.
An auxiliary dining robot is designed in this paper, which implements the humanoid feeding function with theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) theory and aims at the demand of special auxiliary nursing equipment. Firstly, this robot simulated the motion function of human arm by using the tandem joints of the manipulator. The end-effector used a motor-driven spoon to simulate the feeding actions of human hand. Meanwhile, the eye in hand installation style was adopted to instead the human vision to realize its automatic feeding action. Moreover, the feeding and drinking actions of the dining robot were considered comprehensively with the flexibility of spatial movement under the lowest degree of freedom (DOF) configuration. The structure of the dining robot was confirmed by analyzing its stresses and discussing the specific application scenarios under this condition. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate high-flexibility of the dining robot in the workspace with lowest DOF configuration.
ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of robot-assisted pulmonary lobectomy using da Vinci S System, and explore its advantages in minimally invasive surgery. MethodsFrom May 2009 to May 2013, 12 patients with suspected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) underwent robot-assisted lobectomy using da Vinci S System in Shanghai Chest Hospital. There were 6 male and 6 female patients with their age of 40-61 (52±8) years. Robotic instruments were used through a 12-mm observation port, two 8-mm thoracoscopic ports and a 12 to 40 mm utility incision without rib spreading. Perioperative data of the patients were collected and analyzed. ResultsAll the 12 patients successfully received surgical resection. All types of lobectomy were performed, and all the procedures were radical resection. Each patient received 4 to 9 (5±1) stations of lymph node dissection. None of the patients underwent conversion to thoracotomy. There was no perioperative mortality or morbidity in this group. Chest drainage duration was 3-11 (8±7) days. Length of hospital stay was 6 to 18 (14±8) days. Operation time was 60 to 280 (185±78) minutes. Intraoperative blood loss was 20 to 200 (108±71) ml. There was no perioperative blood transfusion. ConclusionsRobot-assisted lobectomy is initially proven a safe and effective procedure with enhanced visualization and better dexterity and stability than video-assisted thoracopscopic surgery. Thus surgical indications for robot-assisted lobectomy can be widened. Robot-assisted lobectomy is an important choice in the new age of minimally invasive thoracic surgery.
ObjectiveTo compare the perioperative efficacy and safety of robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UVATS) in the lobectomy for early lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsClinical data of 70 early lung adenocarcinoma patients, receiving RATS or UVATS lobectomy by the same surgical team in our hospital from November 2018 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 24 males and 46 females with an average age of 59.3±8.9 years. According to different surgical methods, the patients were divided into a RATS group (31 patients) and a UVATS group (39 patients). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, indwelling time, drainage volume, number of lymph node dissected, stations of lymph node dissected and perioperative complications were compared between the two groups.ResultsThere was no conversion to thoracotomy or perioperative death in both groups. There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, indwelling time of thoracic drainage tube, thoracic drainage volume or stations of lymph node dissected between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of pulmonary infection, persistent lung leakage, chylothorax, arrhythmia or overall complications between the two groups (P>0.05). The operation time of the RATS group was longer than that of the UVATS group (195.8±52.8 min vs. 154.0±43.1 min, P=0.001). The number of lymph node dissected in the RATS group was more than that of the UVATS group (P=0.016).ConclusionBoth RATS and UVATS are safe and feasible in the treatment of lung cancer. The number of lymph nodes removed by RATS is significantly more than that of UVATS.
Objective To conduct a systematic bibliometric analysis of recent research on robot-assisted orthopedic surgery, in order to reveal the research trends, hotspots, main contributors, and future development directions in this field. Methods On August 27, 2024, WoSCC (Web of Science Core Collection Database) was searched and relevant literature on robot-assisted orthopedic surgery from 2003 to 2023 was included. Excel 2016, VOSviewer (version 1.6.10), and CiteSpace (version 6.2.R6) were used for data collection and analysis. Results The total citation frequency of 1718 retrieved literature was 28978 times, with an average citation frequency of 16.87 times per article. The total citation frequency of articles in 2019 was the highest (4330 times), and the publication volume in 2023 was the highest (315 articles). Among the top 5 countries in terms of publication volume, the United States had the highest publication volume and total citation frequency, while China ranked second in terms of publication volume, but had the lowest average citation frequency per article. Analysis of cooperation between countries showed that the United States, China, Germany, and other countries had the most cooperation. Babar Kayani’s articles were cited the most frequently. Among the top 10 institutions in terms of publication volume, the Hospital for Special Surgery (United States) had the highest publication volume, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (United States) had the highest total citation frequency for publications, and the average citation frequency of each article published by the University of Pittsburgh (United States) was the highest. The dynamic evolution of research hotspots suggested that early research mainly focused on the combination of traditional surgical techniques and navigation, while in recent years, research had mainly focused on computer-aided surgery, augmented reality, and medical robotics technology. Conclusions In recent years, significant progress has been made in the research of robot-assisted orthopedic surgery, with the United States taking a leading position in this field and having extensive global cooperation. Research hotspots show that with the continuous development of computer-aided surgery, augmented reality, and robotics technology, the field of orthopedic surgery is evolving towards more precise, individualized, and minimally invasive directions.
Objective To systematically evaluate the difference in leg length discrepancy (LLD) between robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (THA) and traditional THA. Methods The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and CBM databases were searched by computer to collect cohort studies of robot-assisted and traditional THAs from inception to August 11th, 2021. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 10 high-quality cohort studies were included. The results of Meta-analysis showed that compared with traditional THA, LLD after robot-assisted THA was smaller [MD=?1.64, 95%CI (?2.25, ?1.04), P<0.001], Harris scores at 3 and 12 months after operation were higher [MD=1.50, 95%CI (0.44, 2.57), P=0.006; MD=7.60, 95%CI (2.51, 12.68), P=0.003]. However, the operative time was longer [MD=8.36, 95%CI (4.56, 12.17), P<0.000 1], and the postoperative acetabular anteversion angle was larger [MD=1.91, 95%CI (1.43, 2.40), P<0.001]. There was no significant difference in Harris score at 6 months, amnesia index (Forgotten joint score, FJS), postoperative acetabular abduction angle, and incidence of complication between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Robot-assisted THA is superior to traditional THA in postoperative LLD.
Objective To explore the clinical effect of PSIS-A robot-assisted percutaneous screw in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture. Methods Patients with thoracolumbar fracture who were hospitalized in Mianyang Orthopedic Hospital between August 2022 and January 2024 and required percutaneous pedicle screw f ixation were selected. Patients were divided into robot group and free hand group by random number table. Operative time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative radiation dose and time, implant accuracy rate, small joint invasion rate, Visual Analogue Scale score for pain and other indexes were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 60 patients were included. Among them, there were 28 cases in the robot group and 32 cases in the free hand group. On the third day after surgery, the Visual Analogue Scale score of the robot group was better than that of the free hand group (P=0.003). Except for intraoperative bleeding and radiation frequency (P>0.05), the surgical time, average nail implantation time, and intraoperative radiation dose in the robot group were all lower than those in the free hand group (P<0.05). The accuracy and excellence rate of nail planting in the robot group were higher than those in the free hand group (94.6% vs. 84.9%; χ2=7.806, P=0.005). There was no statistically significant difference in the acceptable accuracy rate (96.4% vs. 91.1%; χ2=3.240, P=0.072) and the incidence of screw facet joint invasion (7.2% vs.14.1%; χ2=3.608, P=0.058) between the two groups. Conclusion The application of PSIS-A type robot assisted percutaneous minimally invasive pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar fr actures is promising.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness and the advantage of fixation with percutaneous cannulated screws assisted by robot navigation in the treatment of femoral neck fractures by comparing with the conventional surgery. Methods Between January 2013 and December 2014, 20 patients with femoral neck fracture were treated by internal fixation with percutaneous cannulated screws assisted by robot navigation (navigation group), another 18 patients undergoing conventional surgery with manual positioning were chosen as the control group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, cause of injury, the injury side, time from injury to operation, and the classification of fractures between 2 groups (P > 0.05). The operation time, X-ray fluoroscopy time, blood loss, frequency of guide pin insertion, and healing time were recorded. At 1 week after operation, the parallel degree of screws was measured on the anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films; the Harris score was used to evaluate the hip function. Results All incisions of 2?groups healed by first intention after operation. There was no significant difference in operation time between 2?groups (t= -1.139, P=0.262). The blood loss, frequency of guide pin insertion, and X-ray fluoroscopy time of navigation group were significantly less than those of control group (P < 0.05). There were 2 screws penetrating into the joint cavity in control group. The patients were followed up 12-24 months with an average of 18 months. The navigation group got significantly better parallel degree of screws than control group on the anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films (t=25.021, P=0.000; t=18.659, P=0.000). Fractures healed in all patients of navigation group (100%), and the healing time was (21.8±2.8) weeks; fracture healed in 16 patients of control group (88.9%), and the healing time was (24.0 ± 3.7) weeks. There was no significant difference in healing rate and healing time between 2 groups (χ2=2.346, P=0.126; t=1.990, P=0.055). The Harris score of navigation group (87.1±3.7) was significantly higher than that of control group (79.3±4.7) at last follow-up (t= -5.689, P=0.000). Conclusion Cannulated screw fixation assisted by robot navigation is a good method to treat femoral neck fractures, which has the advantages of more accurate positioning, better hip function recovery, less surgical trauma, and shorter X-ray exposure time.
Objective To investigate the risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. Methods The data of the patients who underwent robotic cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) from July 2016 to June 2022 in Daping Hospital of Army Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether arrhythmia occurred after operation, the patients were divided into an arrhythmia group and a non-arrhythmia group. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic analysis were used to screen the risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. ResultsA total of 146 patients were enrolled, including 55 males and 91 females, with an average age of 43.03±13.11 years. There were 23 patients in the arrhythmia group and 123 patients in the non-arrhythmia group. One (0.49%) patient died in the hospital. Univariate analysis suggested that age, body weight, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, left atrial anteroposterior diameter, left ventricular anteroposterior diameter, right ventricular anteroposterior diameter, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, uric acid, red blood cell width, operation time, CPB time, aortic cross-clamping time, and operation type were associated with postoperative arrhythmia (P<0.05). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis suggested that direct bilirubin (OR=1.334, 95%CI 1.003-1.774, P=0.048) and aortic cross-clamping time (OR=1.018, 95%CI 1.005-1.031, P=0.008) were independent risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. In the arrhythmia group, postoperative tracheal intubation time (P<0.001), intensive care unit stay (P<0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (P<0.001) were significantly prolonged, and postoperative high-dose blood transfusion events were significantly increased (P=0.002). Conclusion Preoperative direct bilirubin level and aortic cross-clamping time are independent risk factors for arrhythmia after robotic cardiac surgery. Postoperative tracheal intubation time, intensive care unit stay, and postoperative hospital stay are significantly prolonged in patients with postoperative arrhythmia, and postoperative high-dose blood transfusion events are significantly increased.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the curative and economic effect of da Vinci robotic lung segmentectomy. MethodWe retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 13 patients who underwent robotic lung segmentectomy (as a robotic group) and 35 patients who underwent thoracoscopic lung segmentectomy (as a thoracoscopic group) in our hospital between September 2014 and April 2015. There were 4 males and 9 females at age of 43-73 (59.1±8.9) years in the robot group and 17 males and 18 females in the thoracoscopic group at age of 30-79 (59.1+12.0) years. Effects of the two groups were compared. ResultsPostoperative hospitalization time in the robotic group was shorter than that in the thoracoscopic group (4.4±0.8 d vs. 6.3±2.5 d, P<0.05). But the cost of hospitalization in the robotic group was higher than that in the thoracoscopic group (P<0.05). The surgery indwelling catheter time and incidence of complications in the robotic group were lower than those in the thoracoscopic group with no statistical difference (P=0.053, 0.081). ConclusionRobotic lung segmentectomy is a safe and feasible operation method. With the further accumulation of clinical experience and decrease of the cost of materials, the robot will play a more important role in the future of minimally invasive thoracic surgery.