Chris Akins, M.D. UAB Cardiac Surgeon

Robotically-Assisted surgery sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. But a UAB cardiac surgeon is utilizing the da Vinci Surgical System to perform minimally invasive mitral valve repairs and replacements. With this technology, patients recover in days, instead of weeks.

With robotic surgery, a cardiac surgeon uses the da Vinci computer platform to control the robotic arms of the 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 the 3D, high-definition camera, your surgeon views a magnified image of the heart. The robotic arm translates every move of your surgeon’s arm, pairing a state-of-the-art robotic surgical machine with the best cardiac and surgical know-how.

The da Vinci system works by using breakthrough surgical technology to repair 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 breaking the breast bone that would have to heal. UAB is one of only a handful of hospitals in the U.S. that regularly performs robotically-assisted heart surgery.

Chris Akins, M.D., UAB cardiac surgeon, joined the UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in January 2009. Akins has been performing robotically-assisted heart surgery since 2001, and has performed more than 300 surgeries with the machine. He has become a leading expert on the procedure and is one of the foremost authorities on the da Vinci system.

“People love it,” Akins says. “There’s nothing better than a happy patient, and when you can tell someone that you can fix their heart problem with less pain and scarring, that’s the best.”

One out of every 10 people have leaky valves, and when a patient needs a valve repair to fix a condition like mitral valve prolapse, the surgeon, working with the da Vinci machine, makes a small incision in the groin area and four half-inch incisions for ports on the right side of the chest. The robotic arm repairs the valve, and the patient is feeling better within days, instead of weeks with traditional valve repair surgery.

The advantages to using robotically-assisted surgery over traditional surgery are minimal blood loss, no broken bones, no chest scar and less pain. 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 can only hold two pounds of pressure, which reduces the risk of traumatizing the tissue or breaking sutures.

“When you tell a patient that they need heart surgery, they are immediately afraid of the incision” Akins says. “But then you tell them you can perform the surgery robotically, and they are very happy. The true fear of heart surgery is the long incision. It’s the scarlet letter of heart surgery. But with robotically-assisted heart surgery, no body has to know you’ve had surgery at all.

“I love seeing my patient’s face light up when I tell them they won’t have to be cut open,” he adds.

Robotically-assisted heart surgery is a viable option for many people in need of mitral valve repair. Talk to a UAB cardiac surgeon today about how the da Vinci surgical system can help you.