Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
Minimally invasive surgical techniques have been
widely used in a variety of surgical specialties
for years. Until recently, however, limitations
in equipment had delayed their application to
heart surgery. Technological advancements, including
the revolutionary breakthrough of computerized
robotic systems, now enable complex heart surgery
to be performed without having to open a patient's
chest.
Penn Cardiac Care offers you access to state-of-the-art
technology, enabling our doctors to perform minimally
invasive surgery using a variety of techniques.Of
the nearly 1,800 surgeries performed, an increasing
number entail minimally invasive, robotic and
off-pump techniques.
Our surgeons tailor each operation according
to your unique needs and condition. Your doctors
may choose one or several techniques during surgery
to provide the most benefit for you.
Penn Cardiac Care throughout the University of
Pennsylvania Health System, is the only program
in the region able to offer patients a range of
surgical techniques including:
- Open Heart
- Beating Heart
- Bloodless
- Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery
What is Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery?
Minimally invasive heart surgery entails operating
on the heart (2-3 inches) with long-handled, tiny
surgical instruments inserted through small incisions
in the chest as opposed to traditional open-heart
surgery, which requires a sternotomy (a 10-12
inch incision through the sternal bone) to access
the heart. Because the minimally invasive approach
"invades" the body less than a standard
open-heart procedure, you experience significant
benefits as a result.
Penn Cardiac Care Surgeons perform the following
procedures using minimally invasive techniques:
- Aortic valve replacement
- Atrial septal defects
- Coronary bypass
- Mitral valve repair and replacement
- Patent foramen ovale (hole in the heart)
What is robotic cardiac surgery?
Robotic surgery refers to procedures that are
facilitated by surgeon-controlled robotic instruments.
These devices provide extreme steadiness and wide
range of motion, enabling access to areas inside
the heart that were never possible before.
Penn is one of the few sites in the country offering
a state-of-the art, computerized robotic system,
equipped with three long arms -- two with very
small surgical instruments and the third with
a high-resolution, three-dimensional camera. During
heart surgery, a surgeon controls the robotic
instruments, which are inserted through tiny incisions
in the chest. The high-definition camera provides
the operating surgeon a full view of the heart,
virtually transporting his eyes and hands into
the chest. The surgeon sits at the console with
the controls, using his hands and wrists to manipulate
the movements of the robotic instruments.
Using this technology, the Penn Cardiac Care
team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and
technicians are able to repair mitral valves,
close atrial septal defects, and as part of a
national study, perform coronary artery bypass
surgery. For more information about this study,
speak with your doctor.
What are the benefits of Minimally Invasive
and Robotic Cardiac Surgery?
Minimally invasive surgery performed through a
significantly reduced incision area provides less
trauma and blood loss. Though each patient's experience
may vary, minimally invasive surgery may result
in the following benefits:
- Lower risk of infection
- Fewer medications
- Pain and scarring
- Quicker recovery
- Shorter hospital stay
Is there any increase in risk with these procedures?
There is no increased risk with minimally invasive
procedures. The operations within the heart are
performed with the same techniques used in standard
heart surgery, just via smaller, less painful
incisions.
Beating Heart or Off Pump Surgery
Using sophisticated technology most coronary bypass
procedures, including multivessel bypass operations,
can be performed "off-pump" or while
the heart is still beating. This avoids the need
to stop and restart the heart, as is the case
when one is placed on the heart-lung machine during
standard heart surgery. Avoiding the heart-lung
machine results in fewer blood transfusions and
quicker recovery.
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Our cardiothoracic surgeons are utilizing the
latest research on arterial conduits for bypass
grafts. Recent data has shown that arteries remain
open longer than veins when used as bypass coronary
vessels.
Recovery
Following surgery, all patients are closely monitored
in the intensive care unit. Generally you will
be awake shortly after surgery and can expect
to sit up in bed the night of surgery, sipping
fluids. Like most patients, you can move out of
bed to a chair or take short walks the next day.
Medication will be prescribed, adjusted or discontinued
depending on your condition. Patients receive
physical rehabilitation while in the hospital
and are usually ready to go home in three or four
days after surgery. Although the speed of recovery
varies, patients can expect to resume their lifestyle
within two or four weeks of their operation.
Surgeons
Michael
A. Acker, MD
Joseph
E. Bavaria, MD
Clark
W. Hargrove III, MD
Rohinton
Morris, MD
Alberto
Pochettino, MD
Y.
Joseph Woo, MD
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