Cleveland Clinic Adopts Robotic Heart Surgery Platform

The hospital is now using the CardioPrecision robotic system for routine transcervical aortic valve replacement procedures.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Heart Disease

Modern robotic surgical console with multi-jointed arms in a sterile operating theater. — The Cleveland Clinic has integrated the CardioPrecision robotic surgery system into its clinical workflow to perform routine aortic valve replacements. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Cleveland Clinic has officially integrated the CardioPrecision robotic surgery platform for routine clinical use, specifically for the AVATAR procedure. This technique allows surgeons to replace heart valves through a small incision in the neck, avoiding the need to split the breastbone.

Why it matters

The adoption of this robotic platform aims to improve surgical precision and reduce pain, potentially shortening recovery times for patients undergoing complex heart valve procedures. By eliminating invasive chest incisions, the technique seeks to provide a safer and more effective standard of care.

The Cleveland Clinic performed 3,000 robotic-assisted cardiothoracic surgeries by mid-2026, supported by 75% adoption of vessel harvesting technology in Scottish cardiac centres.

The players

Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center based in Ohio that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education.

CardioPrecision

CardioPrecision is a medical technology company headquartered in Glasgow that specializes in robotic-assisted solutions for cardiothoracic surgery.

The details

The hospital is utilizing the platform's CoreVista technology, which integrates with existing da Vinci Xi and da Vinci 5 robotic surgical systems. This integration enables surgeons to conduct valve replacements through the neck with enhanced mechanical control.

The hospital saw a 50% increase in robotic cardiothoracic operations during the first half of 2026.
The institution reached a cumulative total of 3,000 robotic-assisted surgeries by mid-2026.
Routine clinical use of the new platform in the United States was announced in October 2026.

Health Landscape

The integration of the CardioPrecision platform with the da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system follows a pattern set by the broader industry trend of enhancing existing surgical robotics with specialized, minimally invasive tools.

Patients may experience shorter recovery times and less post-operative pain due to the shift away from breastbone-splitting procedures. These advancements could eventually expand access to less invasive heart valve treatments for those who are candidates for robotic-assisted surgery.

The takeaway

The medical field is increasingly leveraging robotic platforms to perform complex surgeries through smaller incisions. As this technology scales, patients should consult their cardiologists about whether minimally invasive robotic options are appropriate for their specific heart conditions.