Command Performance: Sophisticated Robotic
System Revolutionizes Cardiac Surgery
"AESOP, IN. AESOP, DOWN!” These sound like orders given
to a pet, but they are actually spokenduring cardiac
surgery by W.
Clark Hargrove III, M.D. to an advanced, voice-activated
technological device called AESOP(R), a robotic arm,
which holds a scope with a tiny camera with a steadiness
no human can match. Operating with this device is a
skill, which takes years of surgical experience to perfect.
Dr. Hargrove, Clinical Director of Cardiac Surgery
at Penn Cardiac Care at Presbyterian Medical Center,
is nationally renowned for using AESOP to repair
mitral valves in patients without a history of
coronary artery disease. The mitral valve directs
blood flow from the heart’s left atrium to the
left ventricle, the heart’s most powerful pumping
chamber. Charles R. Bridges, Jr., M.D., Chief
of Cardiac Surgery at Penn Cardiac Care at Pennsylvania
Hospital, notes, “Mitral valve repair is preferable
to replacement, as it preserves the heart’s function
and avoids the need for blood thinners.”
When repairing the mitral valve using AESOP, video
images are taken by the robotic camera and displayed
on a monitor, along with the surgeon’s own movements.
These provide Dr. Hargrove and his surgical team with
the advantage of having a bird’s eye view of the heart.
“Watching the heart on a video screen instead of struggling
to look inside the patient's body allows me to reduce
the size of the incisions as well. This less invasive
approach enables patients to experience less pain and
quicker recovery,” Dr. Hargrove explains.
Penn Cardiac Care at Presbyterian Medical Center
is currently the only facility in the region using
this advanced technology during cardiac surgery.
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