"Researchers can obtain pig hearts from a pork processing facility and use the system to test their prototypes or practice new surgical procedures," says Andrew Richards, a Ph. D. student in mechanical engineering at NC State who designed the heart machine.

The computer-controlled machine, which operates using pressurized saline solution, also allows researchers to film the interior workings of the pumping heart - enabling them to ascertain exactly which surgical technologies and techniques perform best for repairing heart valves.

By using the machine, researchers can determine if concepts for new surgical tools are viable before evaluating them on live animals. They can also identify and address any functional problems with new technological tools. "There will still be a need for testing in live animal models," says Dr. Greg Buckner, who directed the project, "but this system creates an intermediate stage of testing that did not exist before. It allows researchers to do 'proof of concept' evaluations, and refine the designs, before operating on live animals." Buckner is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State.

Using the system could also save researchers a great deal of money. Once the machine is purchased and set up, the cost of running experiments is orders of magnitude less expensive than using live animals. "It costs approximately $25 to run an experiment on the machine," says Richards, "whereas a similar experiment using a live animal costs approximately $2,500."

[Medgadget]

Instead, wearers will use some kind of trans-dermal technique to recharge its battery—which otherwise lasts 5 to 16 hours—such as an external transformer. It's also smart enough to react to the demands of the body, and the internal motors, compressors and valves that emulate a real heart's action step up their pace, upping blood throughput after its sensor detects the body beginning to do something strenuous,

Developed by Frances leading cardiac surgeon and a team of engineers from the companies that also make Airbusses, the heart's already been tested in calves and sheep. But don't go on a heart-destroying burger binge just yet, since its first human trials are a few years away, and routine use in operating rooms would be a while beyond that. [TheTimes]

The system uses a 3D ultrasound system to gather data on the heart's shape and movements, and some custom software then predicts the position of the heart 70 to 100 milliseconds ahead of time. A robotic surgical tool then slides back and forth to compensate, allowing surgery to take place on the particular area of the heart of interest and ignoring how that area is moving around.

The tool's still in development, but it's already demonstrated success in animal trials, and the promise of simpler and less dangerous procedures for surgery like mitral valve repair is pretty amazing. If you can stomach the sight of a little blood, there's a short video of the system in action here. It's one of those tricky modern questions... would you let an essentially robotic system operate on you? I sure would, if it meant going home from heart surgery in a few weeks rather than months. [Technologyreview via Slashdot]