Robot-Assisted Cardiac Procedures

• Robot-Assisted Surgery—Overview
• Laparoscopic Procedures
• Thoracic Procedures
• Urologic Procedures

Definition

A robot-assisted cardiac surgery is when a doctor guides small robotic arms through tiny cuts to do surgery on the heart. It allows for greater range of motion than regular surgery.

Reasons for Procedure

This method is used when surgery needs to be precise. Examples of robot-assisted cardiac surgeries are:

• Mitral valve repair to treat:
  • Stenosis —narrowing of the mitral valve
  • Regurgitation—leakage of the mitral valve
• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to treat:
  • Blockages in the heart’s arteries
  • Severe chest pain, such as angina that has not been helped by medicine
• Atrial septal defect repair to treat a hole between the upper chambers of the heart that does not close properly during fetal development
• Biventricular pacemaker lead placement to treat heart failure due to atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heart rhythm in the upper chambers of the heart

Pacemaker Placement.

Pacemaker leads implanted in heart to maintain normal rhythm.

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The benefits of this type of surgery are:

• Less blood loss
• Lower risk of infection
• Less scarring
• Less trauma to the body
• Faster recovery
• Less time in the hospital

Possible Complications

Problems from robot-assisted surgeries are rare, but all procedures have some risk. The doctor will go over some problems that could happen, such as:

• Excessive bleeding
• Problems from anesthesia, such as wheezing or sore throat
• Infection
• Damage to nearby organs or structures
• The need to switch to traditional surgery types, such as traditional laparoscopic or open surgery

Things that may raise the risk of problems are:

• Smoking
• Chronic diseases, such as diabetes or obesity
• Alcohol use disorder

What to Expect

Problems to Look Out For

Call the doctor if you are not getting better or you have:

• Signs of infection, such as fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or discharge from an incision
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Rapid weight gain
• Pain or swelling in your feet, calves, or legs
• Headache or lightheadedness
• New or unexpected symptoms

If you think you have an emergency, call for medical help right away.