An unusual heart operation

lincy953

An unusual heart operation was taking place in the pale-green operating room at the Ohio State University Medical Center. The patient, a 62-year-old man, was anaesthetized and put to sleep. There was no person operating on him. Instead, he was operated on by a robot with three metal arms. The robot's arms went through pencil-sized holes in the man’s chest. At the ends of the robot’s arms were turning wrists and fine metal fingers. In its hands there was a small tool, a light and a camera. The robot’s arms and fingers were controlled by Dr. Randall K. Wolf who was sitting at a computer in a corner of the operating theatre/theater, about 20 feet away. The doctors say this kind of operation is the start of what may be the biggest change in their profession for nearly 30 years ago. “We have big hands, so most operations need large cuts,” said Dr. Wolf, the director of the operation at Ohio State . The robot’s thin fingers was no thicker than a small nail, so it could work better. Eventually, the doctor says, most heart operations will be done through robots. Their arms are put in through pencil-sized holes in patients’ chests. The doctor will direct the operation through computers, and will be able to watch on computer screens. The doctor would not have to be in the same room, or even the same country, as the patient.