Evaluating the Efficacy of Automated Suturing Technology for Bentall Procedures in a Passive Beating Heart Model

This study demonstrates how the ViVitro Labs SuperPump enables precise control of flow and stroke, providing the stable and clinically relevant hemodynamic conditions required to accurately quantify leakage. Automated versus manual suturing techniques in Bentall procedures were evaluated using an ex vivo passive beating heart model integrated into an advanced mock circulatory loop (MCL) platform. Twenty porcine hearts underwent Bentall surgery with either automated or manual suturing and were tested under progressively increasing aortic pressures using the ViVitro Labs SuperPump. The results revealed no significant difference in anastomotic leakage between the two techniques, even under hypertensive conditions. These findings indicate that automated suturing achieves comparable holding strength and hemostatic performance to manual methods, supporting its use in complex aortic root procedures.