Make an appointment with one of our physicians to see if you are a candidate for robotic heart surgery.

With robotic surgery, a cardiac surgeon uses the da Vinci computer platform to control the robotic arms of a surgical machine. Every move of the machine is a move made by your surgeon, aided by miniaturized wristed instruments maneuvering in ways the human hand cannot. With a 3D, high-definition camera, your surgeon views a magnified image of the heart. The robotic arm translates every move of your surgeon’s arm with unparalleled precision, pairing a state-of-the-art robotic surgical machine with the best cardiac and surgical know-how. 

Read more about robotic heart surgery and Chris Akins, M.D., UAB cardiac surgeon.

The da Vinci system works by using breakthrough surgical technology to repair or replace a valve through a few small incisions, rather than opening the chest cavity. Surgeons guide the robotic arm during the procedure, which is done endoscopically and creates less pain and blood loss. Additionally, the procedure eliminates broken bones that have to heal. UAB is one of only a handful of hospitals in the U.S. that regularly performs robotically-assisted heart surgery.

What are the benefits of Robotically-Assisted Surgery?
There are many advantages for the patient to robotically-assisted surgery, including:

• Minimal blood loss
• No broken chest bone
• Small incisions
• Less pain
• Minimal or no scarring
• Shorter hospital stay
• Shorter recovery
• Reduced risk of trauma to surrounding tissue

In addition, the delicate touch of the machine creates less disruption to other organs and tissues near the heart. The machine is highly maneuverable and gives the doctor images in high-definition. The robotic arms is microscopic, reducing the risk of causing trauma to the tissue or breaking sutures by pulling too hard.

Surgeons have greater surgical precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, enhanced visualization and improved access when working with the da Vinci system, creating a better surgical experience.

 

How is robotically-assisted heart surgery different from traditional open heart surgery?
In traditional open heart surgery, the surgeon makes an incision in the chest and then widens it to access the heart. Often times this requires breaking the breast bone in front of the heart. Even in traditional minimally-invasive surgery, the surgeon still uses rigid instruments and views the surgery on a standard video monitor.

With robotically-assisted heart surgery, the tools act as the surgeon’s hands. Because they are small and maneuverable, and because the surgeon is watching his movements on a 3-D, high dimension monitor, there is an increased level of precision, making procedures that were once only possible with traditional open heart surgeries possible through the use of the da Vinci system using endoscopic ports only.

Who is a good candidate for robotically-assisted surgery?
Many people are good candidates for robotically-assisted heart surgery. Typical patients for robotically-assisted mitral valve repair or replacement are those with severe leakage in their mitral valve. And many people opt for robotically-assisted heart surgery to avoid having a large scar on their chest from traditional heart surgery. Other select bypass patients are also candidates.

Patients who are not yet in need of mitral valve replacement are excellent candidates for robotically-assisted heart surgery, because mitral valve repair carries a smaller risk for surgical complications or reoperations, improves heart function and doesn’t require the patient to take life-long blood thinners.

To schedule an appointment to find out if you could be a candidate for robotically-assisted heart surgery, contact UAB HealthFinder.