A team has created a plastic surgical field expansion plate designed to assist surgeons during robot-assisted heart surgeries.
In robot-assisted heart surgery, there is typically a need for an assistant at the operating table to aid the surgeon in positioning the robot arm through a small incision. This assistant must constantly ensure that the surgeon has enough operating space for the robot arm. To provide surgeons with more autonomy, a research group from Osaka Metropolitan University has developed a device that helps secure the surgical area.
Professor Toshihiko Shibata and Associate Professor Yosuke Takahashi, along with their team and several small to medium-sized businesses, have created the surgical field expansion plate using a specialized plastic that is commonly used in medical implants and in the aerospace sector. They conducted tests on the device during real heart surgeries.
The polyether ether ketone plate can be molded into a circular shape, where it expands to a specific size and maintains its form, effectively securing the surgical area. The plate measures 0.4 millimeters in thickness, with various widths and lengths available to suit different surgical needs.
According to Professor Takahashi, “This medical-grade device is both flexible and sturdy, and it is easy to use and reusable. We expect this plate to enable robot-assisted heart surgeries that do not rely heavily on the assistant’s skills, with potential future uses in areas such as oral surgery and otolaryngology.”
