Surgeons have carried out the first ever robotic open-heart operations in Britain at the New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.

The Da Vinci robot is remotely controlled by surgeons who are given a high definition view of the heart through a sophisticated camera.

Normal heart surgery involves cutting open the breast plate, but the robotic arms are inserted by making cuts between the patient's ribs. A surgeon is then given a 3D, high-definition view of the heart and can move the robot's arms using a control panel.

The heart surgeon Stephen Billing said:-    "There is less pain and patients are able to return home to their normal activities far sooner."

Source   BBC  ;   DaVinci Surgery