Reduced trauma, Increased Precision Offer Significant Benefits for Patients
Imagine a surgeon operating on a patient to correct a defect inside the heart in an entirely new way. Though the chest has not been opened, the surgeon can see the heart perfectly through a pencil-width video camera inserted through a tiny hole in the patient's chest. Two additional holes accommodate small, computer-controlled surgical instruments. The chest is never opened; the heart is never exposed.
The robotic-assisted surgical system.
The surgeon performs the procedure from a computer console, using remote controls that dictate the precise movements of the robotic tools operating inside the patient's chest. Instruments can be changed manually, by a second surgeon at the patients bedside, during the surgery, allowing the surgeon to cut, clamp, move, cauterize and stitch tissues without ever leaving the console. The surgeon can switch to traditional open surgery at any time.
Precision is greatly enhanced; trauma and blood loss greatly reduced. And the patient, with just three tiny incisions, is up and around in a matter of hours.
Robotic surgery technology is making all of this possible. In July 2000, Providence Heart and Vascular Institute became one of the first 10 facilities in the country, and the only one in the Northwest, to adopt robotic-assisted cardiac surgery technology.
The robotic system combines the natural hand movements used in traditional open-chest surgery with the less-traumatic approach of minimally invasive surgery, adding a new level of precision that may surpass the best benefits of all earlier methods.
The benefits to surgeons
The use of computer technology introduces several improvements over what is possible with the human eye and hand:
The high-resolution, real-time video image can be magnified to obtain the best possible view of the operative site.
The surgical EndoWrist"! is more flexible than the human wrist, improving maneuvering around organs and vessels.
Hand tremors are eliminated, allowing greater precision than is possible with the human hand.
Movements can be scaled, so that a four-centimeter movement of the surgeon's hand results in a one-centimeter movement of the actual surgical instrument.
The computer can compensate for the beating movement of the heart, making it unnecessary to stop the patient's heart during surgery.
The benefits to patients
Three tiny incisions
Reduced trauma and increased precision offer significant benefits for patients, including:
Less pain
Less blood loss
Shorter hospitalization
Faster recovery
Reduced risk of complications following surgery
Reduced scarring
Three tiny incisions
Providence Heart and Vascular Institute is committed to expanding the potential of the robotic-assisted cardiac surgery system to lengthen and improve the lives of patients. "Complex, open-heart surgery saves lives but has more inherent risks and side effects for patients than robotic-assisted cardiac surgery," says Dr. Jeff Swanson, who specializes in adult cardiac surgery at Providence Heart and Vascular Institute. "If we can fix the heart with no incisions other than a few small ports within the chest, the benefits to our patients could be enormous."
If you have questions about robotic-assisted cardiac surgery, call 503-216-2088.
