In vivo evaluation of tissue damage from varying grasping forces using the Saroa surgical system

Robot-assisted surgery can help to reduce patient burden and operator stress by enabling precise manipulations with multiple joint motions, but may also cause complications due to the lack of tactile sensation. The Saroa surgical system was developed with a haptic feedback function, and allows operators to adjust grasping forces as desired. In this study, we investigated tissue damage from varying grasping forces using the Saroa surgical system, and assessed the utility of this system. The grasping forceps of the Saroa system were used to grasp the lungs, esophagus, aorta, liver, spleen, small intestine, and large intestine of six beagle dogs with forces of 1, 2, and 3 N for durations of 1, 2, and 4 min. The effects of different grasping forces and durations on tissue damage were histologically evaluated. Histological evaluations showed that grasping force caused tissue damage in the lung and liver, but not the other organs. These results showed the lung and liver were more vulnerable to grasping forces, and exhibited more severe tissue damage at higher forces. These findings suggest that the haptic feedback function of the Saroa system could help to reduce intraoperative organ damage, especially in the fields of lung and liver surgery.