Am J Surg 1990 Sep;160(3):300-1

Hepatic transplantation with the aid of the iron intern retractor

Stieber AC
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania
15213.

Abstract

In the majority of centers, orthotopic liver transplantation at any given time
involves a team of four: the surgeon and the first, second, and third
assistants. As a result, considerable skilled manpower must be available around
the clock. Furthermore, the presence of four surgeons and an instrument nurse
creates considerable crowding around the operating table. Although various
mechanical devices have been occasionally employed by various teams for the
purpose of solving these problems, no single instrument has been reported as
truly helpful. During the past year, the Iron Intern, a table-mounted surgical
robot that replaces up to two of the human assistants during the liver
transplantation recipient operation, has been successfully employed at the
University of Pittsburgh. The instrument is easy to use and versatile enough to
be satisfactory under any circumstances. We believe this device is a real
breakthrough in streamlining orthotopic liver transplantation