A beating heart makes for a formidable surgical arena, but a new robotic catheter could someday equip surgeons to operate in the cardiac environment with greater ease.
The device, designed by a team of physicians and engineers at Boston University, possesses shape-shifting capabilities that allow it to be maneuvered through complex anatomy while maintaining enough stability to accomplish surgical objectives within the heart.
In a study published in Science Advances, the authors demonstrated the robot’s ability to assist with two mock cardiac procedures using animal tissue. The study authors suggest that, with further development, the robotic catheter could make many common heart surgeries far safer and less taxing on the body.
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