Feasibility of infrared tracking of beating heart motion for robotic assisted beating heart surgery

摘要

Abstract Background Accurate tracking of the heart surface motion is a major requirement for robot assisted beating heart surgery. Method The feasibility of a stereo infrared tracking system for measuring the free beating heart motion was investigated by experiments on a heart motion simulator, as well as model surgery on a dog. Results Simulator experiments revealed a high tracking accuracy (81 μm root mean square error) when the capturing times were synchronized and the tracker pointed at the target from a 100 cm distance. The animal experiment revealed the applicability of the infrared tracker with passive markers in practical heart surgery conditions. Conclusion With the current technology, infrared tracking with passive markers might be the optimal solution for accurate, fast, and reliable tracking of heart motion during robot assisted beating heart surgery.