Beating Heart Surgery SAVES Purple Heart
Veteran
Had Matt Williams*, a 51-year old, decorated war veteran,
not been in a car accident, he may never have known
that he was suffering from the nation’s #1 killer,
heart disease. Having never experienced any symptoms
such as chest pain, he was surprised when specialized
heart tests taken after the mishap revealed extensive
blockages in the arteries of his heart.
With the threat of an inevitable and possibly fatal
heart attack, Matt was recommended for bypass surgery
and referred to Y.
Joseph Woo, MD, Director of the Minimally Invasive
and Robotic Cardiac Surgery Program at Penn Cardiac
Care at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
Dr. Woo explained to him various surgical bypass techniques,
all of which are only available in the region through
Penn Cardiac Care, namely traditional, beating heart,
minimally invasive, robotic and bloodless, designed
for patients who decline blood transfusions for religious
or other reasons.
Dr. Woo performed “beating heart” or “offpump”
bypass surgery on Matt using specially designed devices
to position the heart, stabilize the coronary artery,
and clear blood from the operative field. Using a robotic
device with which only a few surgeons in the country
are trained, Dr. Woo was able to operate through tiny
chest incisions.
Unlike traditional bypass surgery during which the
heart is stopped, eliminating blood flow through the
heart, Matt’s heart remained beating. “One
advantage of the beating heart approach is the decreased
need for blood transfusions during surgery,” stated
Charles
R. Bridges, ScD, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery
at Penn Cardiac Care at Pennsylvania Hospital. The
approach may enable patients to experience less bleeding,
less time on a mechanical ventilator and faster recovery.
It has also been reported to help preserve subtle
brain functions.
Dr. Woo noted, “Essentially all patients are
candidates for the beating heart technique. I apply
it to all of my surgery patients and, when possible,
integrate robotics and minimally invasive approaches
together to give patients their best option for a less
invasive, less traumatic, and less painful operation.”
Following surgery, Matt was pleasantly surprised to
be drinking fluids the same day and taking a short walk
in the hospital the next. Within four weeks, he was
“…back to the life he loved” with
his wife of 25 years and three children.
*name has been changed to protect patient’s
privacy
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