Robotic Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: Present and Future Perspectives

Advances in robotic technology and imaging systems have enabled the broad application of minimally invasive techniques in cardiac surgery, including coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve repair in adults. In pediatric cardiac surgery, however, current robotic systems have been used primarily to facilitate thoracoscopic pediatric procedures on extracardiac lesions, such as ligation of patent ductus and division of vascular rings. The use of smaller instruments with sophisticated robotic wrists may make it possible to perform more complex extracardiac procedures even in young infants. Additionally, future technological improvements, including incorporation of tactile feedback, instrument tracking, and intracardiac imaging (such as real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography), may enable intracardiac robotic surgery to be performed in children. This article reviews the current and potential future applications of pediatric robotic surgery and the developmental work required to enable performance of these procedures, along with an overview of the problems associated with the use of current robotic surgical systems in children.