Bilateral internal thoracic artery harvesting under robotic video-assistance

Background: Following upon the recent development of minimally invasive cor onary robotic surgery, we set out to evaluate the feasibility of bilateral internal mammary artery (IMA) harvesting using the voice-controlled AESOP 2 000 video assisted robot. Methods: The robot is placed on the right side of the patient. The left IMA is first totally video-harvested, with the arm of the robot crossing over the patient to reach the left chest. The voice-controlled movement of the a rm allows the surgeon to obtain the best video image of the artery. After c ompletion of the dissection, the arm is positioned on the right part of the chest. The right IMA is then harvested using the same technique. Results: Two patients underwent harvest of a bilateral IMA using this techn ique. The time of dissection was 52 min and 86 min, respectively. Conclusion: This technique allows a more precise, faster, tremor-free disse ction, as compared to a conventional thoracoscopic harvesting.