Improved Care for Heart Bypass Patients
Minimally invasive surgical techniques are now widely
used to provide patients with less pain and faster recovery
time. Limitations in surgical equipment have prohibited
their use during heart bypass surgery -- until now.
The advancement of computerized robotic technology
is one of the most exciting breakthroughs in surgery
to date, enabling surgeons to perform complete, bypass
surgery less invasively. Penn Cardiac Care at the University
of Pennsylvania Medical Center is proud to be the only
hospital in Philadelphia and one of only 12 in the nation
invited to participate in a study to determine the effectiveness
of this revolutionary procedure. “Penn’s investment
in the robotic system and in the extensive training
of our surgical and nursing team was driven by the potential
to improve patient comfort and enhance our expertise,”
says Timothy
J. Gardner, MD, chief of cardiac surgery for the
University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Y.
Joseph Woo, MD, director of the minimally
invasive and robotic cardiac surgery program at
Penn is one of the nation’s few surgeons
trained to use the robotic system for bypass surgery.
A wide range of surgical options, from traditional,
open-heart surgery to less invasive, robotic surgery
is available at Penn. Each bypass procedure is
customized to meet the patient’s individual
needs and condition.
The traditional approach requires surgeons to create
an incision in the patient’s chest. The robot is
equipped with two small instrument arms and a tiny camera,
which enables surgeons to operate through tiny incisions.
“By virtually transporting the surgeon’s eyes
and hands into the patient’s body, the robotic
system allows the surgeon to perform complex heart surgery
without ever having to open the patient’s chest,”
explains Dr. Woo.
How Surgical Robotics Works
In the operating room, one surgeon controls the robotic
system, while a second surgeon works alongside the patient,
making the tiny chest incisions for the robotic arms
and camera. With the high-resolution, three-dimensional
camera system, the operating surgeon has a full view
of the patient’s heart and can perform the bypass
operation with the multi-jointed, robotic arms. This
minimally invasive approach results in less trauma,
blood loss, pain, scarring, and lower risk of infection,
while improving recovery time.
In addition to bypass procedures, the robotic
system will soon be able to assist with heart
valve operations. The full impact of surgical
robotics may not be realized for another two or
three years, but future applications may include
the treatment of heart rhythm disturbances, heart
failure and other conditions. Dr. Gardner noted,
“As demonstrated by our new robotic program,
Penn Cardiac Care is committed to providing the
most comprehensive, technologically-advanced cardiac
care in the region and will continue to pursue
of similar developments that hold great promise
for both patients and surgeons alike.”
|
