Robotic cardiac surgery: What is it and what benefits does it offer to patients

A robotic technique should ideally be used for every bypass surgery for a smooth operation. Photo Courtesy: iStoc

Good bypass surgery is one of the time-tested as well as long-term solutions for patients who have been found or diagnosed with 3-4 blocks in the heart. However, a doctor's advice about bypass surgery is generally received negatively by many patients and one of the main reasons behind this is the associated problems that surgery inflicts on the patient for a long time.

Bypass surgery is usually performed by division of the central bone of the chest which is called the sternum. This procedure is known as sternotomy which is a major part of this surgery. It is not only painful but also causes delayed healing or chances of infection in high-risk patients especially those having diabetes. Diabetic patients form at least 50-60 per cent of patients who are generally required to undergo bypass surgery.

Dr Chandrashekhar Kulkarni, Senior Consultant CVTS and lead Heart Transplant Surgeon at The Global Hospital, Parel Mumbai says, "A new technology however comes bearing good news. Performing a heart surgery without sternotomy is now possible due to robotic-assisted cardiac surgery. With this new technology, close to 100 per cent of patients who require bypass surgery can now be done with the help of keyhole cardiac surgery."

Robotic cardiac surgery
The most important part of the surgery is to avoid a long central bone-cutting incision. This is replaced by a very small 5 to 6 centimetres functional incision on the left side of the. The incision will be only of that size making it simple for the surgeon to operate since this technology does away with bone cutting. This significantly reduces the amount of pain and speeds up healing leading to a faster recovery and no restrictions on the movement of the patient. Traditionally we have been using chest belts but with this robotic technology, the need for the chest belt is also eliminated.

Kulkarni explains, "We have seen patients of robotic cardiac surgery up on their feet just three days after the operation. Not just this, patients also get back to work within 3 weeks." Increased safety, improved quality of life, and better availability of surgical precision and technology go in a long way in enhancing the overall comfort of the patients.

One of the major problems of sternotomy that robotic cardiac surgery corrects is the development of ugly and itchy scars also called keloids. These keloids develop on the chest of the patients and can be huge irritants for many post-surgeries. As robotic cardiac surgery does not involve the use of any sort of central chest incision, the chances of development of keloid is less than 1 per cent which also prevents major post-operative discomforts or ugly cosmetic scars on the patient.

The benefits of robotic cardiac surgery
1. Acceptable cosmetic scar
2. No bone cutting, hence there is faster recovery and resumption of regular duties.
3. No usage of chest belts
4. No ugly scars or keloids
5. Pain-free approach having speedy recovery and early discharge from the hospital.
8. Less blood loss, early recovery of lung function and very minimal discomfort during the entire process.

A robotic technique should ideally be used for every bypass surgery for a smooth operation.

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