Left Internal Mammary Artery to Left Anterior Descending Artery. An Alternative for old, High-Risk, Multivessel, Coronary Artery Disease Patients and an Approach for Hybrid Revascularization

In 1997, the first ambulatory off-pump left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending artery (LAD) anastomosis was performed via xiphoid approach, an intervention known today as the MINI-OPCAB operation. This operation has been performed in more than 150 patients around the world for the management of single and multiple vessel coronary artery disease, and 70 of those cases underwent the procedure in our Foundation from 1997 to 2021, showing no operative mortality or reintervention rates, low conversion rates, early hospital discharge, and 100% graft patency at the follow-ups. The minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) procedure was introduced in 1994 by Benetti from Argentina, and was developed based on our previous experience performing off-pump coronary surgery by manipulating the ascending aorta through a left-sided small thoracotomy. Although it represents one of the most common minimally invasive procedures done worldwide, the original technique is not easy to reproduce, and in most cases the pleura is opened, which increases patients pain, morbidity, hospital length of stay, and hinders the realization of immediate hybrid revascularization after the procedure. The latest minimally invasive approaches for CABG include robotic-assisted procedures, in which the IMAs are harvested using robotic technology or the whole procedure is done using robotic technology. This approach has shown adequate short-term clinical results, however, there are no studies available reporting the procedure’s long-term results. Conclusion: The MINI-OPCAB operation is a friendly approach to perform Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass Surgery in old, high-risk, multivessel coronary artery disease patients, and it represents a good intervention alternative for the majority of cardiac surgeons and cardiac specialized centers. We also consider this approach as ideal for patients who further require Hybrid Revascularization; however, more experience is needed to validate this initials results.

Endoscopic and Robotic Stapes Surgery: Review with Emphasis on Recent Surgical Refinements

Purpose of Review Stapes surgery has been established as the gold standard for surgical treatment of conductive hearing loss in otosclerosis. Excellent outcomes with very low complication rate are reported for this surgery. Recent advances to improve surgical outcome have modified the surgical technique with endoscopes, and recent studies report development of robotical assistance. This article reviews the use of endoscopes and robotical assistance for stapes surgery. Recent Findings While different robotic models have been developed, 2 models for stapes surgery have been used in the clinical setting. These can be used concomitant to an endoscope or microscope. Endoscopes are used on a regular base regarding stapes surgery with similar outcomes as microscopes. Endoscopic stapes surgery shows similar audiological results to microscopic technique with an advantage of less postoperative dysgeusia and pain. Its utility in cases of revision surgery or malformation is emphasized. Summary Endoscopic stapes surgery is used on a regular basis with excellent outcomes similar to the microscopic approach, while reducing surgical morbidity. Robotic technology is increasingly being developed in the experimental setting, and first applications are reported in its clinical use.

Does robotic technology successfully restore the joint line after total knee arthroplasty? A retrospective analysis

Background Our study aims to determine the effectiveness of robotic technology for total knee arthroplasty in the successful restoration of the joint line of the knee with respect to that of a normal human anatomical knee. The restoration of the joint line is an important technical goal on which the postoperative outcomes and the success of the surgery depend. Methods Sixty-four postoperative plain anteroposterior radiographs of 60 patients, who received total knee arthroplasty by using the robotic technology were analyzed and compared with 66 similar radiographs of 60 patients who received the conventional method. The distances of the lateral epicondyle to the joint line (LEJL) and proximal tibiofibular joint to the joint line (PTFJJL) were calculated and analyzed. Results We found that the mean value of LEJL minus PTFJJL in the robotic group was 0.334 ± 0.115 (mean ± SD), while in the conventional group, it was 2.304 ± 0.308. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. The mean ratio (LEJL:PTFJJL) in the robotic group was also equal to 1.017 ± 0.042. Conclusion From these findings it could be concluded that the robotic technology significantly increases the accuracy of the total knee arthroplasty and, compared to the conventional method, achieves an almost anatomical position of the joint line.

Midline Mandibulotomy Approach for Oral Cavity and Oropharynx Tumors: Long-Term Experience in a Single Institution

Purpose: To describe our clinical experience with the use of the midline mandibulotomy approach for oral cavity and oropharynx tumors.Methods: Charts were reviewed retrospectively for 67 consecutive patients who underwent mandibulotomies over a 15-year period (2002-2017) as part of their treatment for oral and oropharyngeal malignancies, with an average follow-up of 57.7 months.Results: Sixty-seven patients underwent a mandibulotomy. There were 59 males (88%) with a mean age of 56.9 years and eight females (12%) with a mean age 56.5 years. The approach was a midline mandibulotomy in 50 patients (74.6%), a paramedian mandibulotomy in 10 patients (14.9%), and a posterior mandibulotomy in seven (10.44%: angle 1 (1.5%), body 5 (7.5%), and ramus 1 (1.5%).In the group of patients undergoing median or paramedian mandibulotomies, adequate exposure of the lesion was achieved in all cases with a significant lower rate of complications (13,4%) (p<0.005) compared to the posterior mandibulotomy group (37,5%) .Conclusions: The results of the study confirm that the anterior mandibulotomy approach provides excellent exposure for oral and oropharyngeal tumors, with a significant lower complication rate compared to the posterior mandibulotomy approach.Until minimally invasive Robotic technology is not widespread, conventional techniques such as midline mandibulotomy approaches, with “modern-times” refinements still have their place in head and neck oncology surgery

Emotional talk about robotic technologies on Reddit: Sentiment analysis of life domains, motives, and temporal themes

This study grounded on computational social sciences and social psychology investigated sentiment and life domains, motivational, and temporal themes in social media discussions about robotic technologies. We retrieved text comments from the Reddit social media platform in March 2019 based on the following six robotic technology concepts: robot ( N = 3,433,554), AI ( N = 2,821,614), automation ( N = 879,092), bot ( N = 21,559,939), intelligent agent ( N = 15,119), and software agent ( N = 18,324). The comments were processed using VADER and LIWC text analysis tools and analyzed further with logistic regression models. Compared to the other four concepts, robot and AI were used less often in positive context. Comments addressing themes of leisure, money, and future were associated with positive and home, power, and past with negative comments. The results show how the context and terminology affect the emotionality in robotic technology conversations.

Bridging the collectives: A review of collective human–robot construction

Advancements in multi-agent, autonomous, and intelligent robotic systems over the past decades point toward new design and fabrication possibilities. Exploring how humans and robots can create and construct collectively is essential in leveraging robotic technology in the building sector. However, only by making existing knowledge from relevant technological disciplines accessible to designers can we fully exploit current construction methods and further develop them to address the challenges in architecture. To do this, we present a review paper that bridges the gap between Collective Robotic Construction (CRC) and Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) and defines a new research domain in Collective Human–Robot Construction (CHRC) in the architectural design and fabrication context.

Robotic Central Hepatectomy for the Treatment of Gallbladder Carcinoma. Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Approach

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an uncommon but very aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. Concerns for oncological inferiority related to the technical difficulties in performing laparoscopic portal lymphadenectomy discourage many surgeons to undertake this operation minimally invasively. With wide application of robotic technology to solve limitations of conventional laparoscopy, we describe our initial outcomes of robotic central hepatectomy and portal lymphadenectomy for gallbladder carcinoma in 15 consecutive patients. Data were presented as median (mean ± SD). Patients were 70 (73 ± 10.9) years old with BMI of 26 (26 ± 3.6) kg/m2. Tumor size was 3(4 ± 1.9) cm. Operative duration was 222 (237 ± 85.7) minutes and estimated blood loss was 200 (222 ± 135.4) mL. There were no intraoperative complications and complete resection (R0) was obtained in nearly all patients. Postoperative complications were seen in two patients (bile leak (n = 1) and respiratory failure (n = 1)). Length of stay was 3 (4 ± 4.0) days without 30-day mortality. Robotic approach is safe and effective for the treatment of GBC.

A Survey on Acceptance and Readiness to Use Robot Teaching Technology Among Primary School Science Teachers

Interest in educational robotics has grown in recent years, and many efforts have been undertaken across the globe to include robots into school instruction from kindergarten to high school, mostly in science and technology subjects. The current study is to determine teachers&#39; technological acceptance and readiness to implement robotic technology in the teaching and learning process. A descriptive research design was employed which utilized a survey method. This survey was conducted among primary school teachers of Science, Mathematics, Design and Technology, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Malaysia. According to the findings, teachers&#39; acceptance of robot technology in the classroom is at a modest 3.77 (SD = 0.598) while the readiness score is 3.67 (SD = 0.611). The findings indicated that school teachers are only moderately prepared to employ robotic technology in classrooms. Respondents also argued that the high cost of robotic technology is a significant barrier to incorporate robotic technology into teaching and learning. The practicality of this paper is the provision of insights for exploring adoption possibilities and barriers in auguring robots into primary school classrooms. This indicates that the higher the level of teachers&rsquo; acceptance, the higher teachers&rsquo; readiness in robotic technology. Respondents argued that the high cost of robotic technology is a significant barrier to incorporating robotic technology into teaching and learning.