Robotically assisted coronary artery bypass surgery with the ZEUS telemanipulator system.

Our goal of minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery is a completely endoscopic operation and anastomosis. Minimally invasive procedures reduce the invasiveness of the operation and therefore the morbidity and length of hospitalization of the patients. A possible solution to the technical problems that accompany manually performed endoscopic anastomoses is telemanipulation, which provides surgeons with the necessary equipment to accomplish totally endoscopic coronary anastomoses. Robotic telemetric systems together with 3-D visualization provide the necessary platform. This article summarizes the current worldwide experience with the ZEUS(TM) system in cardiac surgery and describes the steps from preclinical to endoscopic operation, focusing on the potential limitations of the procedure and the system.