Robotically-assisted procedures are known to provide a variety of benefits including faster procedures, precision, endurance, little or no radiation exposure and ergonomic advantages for the surgeon. But there are a few criticisms concerning costs, the learning curve and the lack of tactile feedback for the surgeon.

Because of that, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is creating a new system for tactile feedback that uses a unidirectional ultrasound sensor.

Robotic procedures are used to close atrial septum defects and also for bypass implants and mitral valve operations. Furthermore, new robotic systems have been created for percutaneous coronary interventions, catheter-based ablations for atrial fibrillations and minimally invasive operations on the aorta.

But there aren't many prospective controlled studies that compare robotic surgery with conventional surgery, especially in the field of cardiology, and that's seen as a major hurdle.

The robotic systems on the market that are used for cardiovascular procedures are Corindus Vascular Robotics' CorPath200-System, Hansen Medical's Hansen Medical Sensei System and Magellan Robotic System and Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci Robotic System.

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