A robot is being used to help surgeons perform tricky heart bypass surgery more accurately.
Heart bypasses are heavily invasive and risky to the patient.
The robot, developed by German surgeons, means doctors can carry out complex procedures with less risk of making a wrong move. It is the latest in a series of innovations in recent years to bring robot technology into the operating theatre. In February doctors in Belgium announced success with a similar robot that could be operated by surgeons over telephone lines. And doctors in the UK are evaluating a technique of fixing swollen arteries around the heart by inserting equipment into the artery by the groin and moving it up to where it is needed. Professor Reichenspurner testing the equipment Such methods provide an alternative to open-heart surgery, and, because only a small incision is needed, there is less risk and the patient does not have to spend as long in hospital.