A surgical
system or
assembly for performing
cardiac surgery includes a
surgical instrument; a
servo-
mechanical system engaged to the
surgical instrument for operating the
surgical instrument; and an attachment
assembly for removing at least one degree of movement from a moving surgical cardiac worksite to produce a
resultant surgical cardiac worksite. The surgical
system or
assembly also includes a
motion tracking system for gathering movement information on a
resultant surgical cardiac worksite. A control computer is engaged to the attachment assembly and to the
motion tracking system and to the
servo-
mechanical system for controlling movement of the attachment assembly and for feeding gathered information to the
servo-
mechanical system for moving the surgical instrument in
unison with the
resultant surgical cardiac worksite such that a relative position of the moving surgical instrument with respect to the resultant surgical cardiac worksite is generally constant. A video monitor is coupled to the control computer; and an input
system is coupled to the servo-mechanical system and to the control computer for providing a movement of the surgical instrument. The video monitor displays movement of the surgical instrument while the resultant surgical cardiac worksite appears substantially stationary, and while a relative position of the surgical instrument moving in
unison with the resultant surgical cardiac worksite, as a result from the movement information gathered by the
motion tracking system, remains generally constant. A method of performing
cardiac surgery without cardioplegia comprising removing at least one degree of movement freedom from a moving surgical cardiac worksite to produce at least a partially stationary surgical cardiac worksite while allowing a residual heart section, generally separate from the at least partially stationary surgical cardiac worksite, to move as a residual moving
heart part.
Cardiac surgery is performed on the at least partially stationary cardiac worksite with a surgical instrument such as needle drivers,
forceps, blades and scissors.