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Vinci® Cardiothoracic Surgery:
Changing the Experience of Surgery
Heart surgery. The words conjure images of a hushed surgical suite, hovering doctors, a draped patient, an open chest and an exposed heart. However, as imaging techniques continue to improve, more often this simply isn't the case, notes John Marbarger, M.D., chair of the Department of Heart and Vascular Services and the Department of Surgery at St. John's Mercy. "Advanced imaging means smaller incisions, which can translate to decreased pain, shorter recovery times and less scarring," Dr. Marbarger says.
Many procedures once requiring the more severe breastbone separation can now be done through two- to three-inch incisions at the left and right sides of the chest. Cameras inserted into the chest cavity feed real-time images to an operating room television.This lets doctors see the heart while performing surgery with instruments custom-made for video-assist procedures.
"It's like the heart structure is five inches from the doctor's nose," says Dr. Marbarger. This up-close-and-personal heart view can improve access during delicate surgeries such as mitral valve repair, which doctors at St. John's Mercy are helping to perfect. For most patients, da Vinci® cardiothoracic surgery offers numerous potential benefits over open heart surgery including:
- Less risk of infection
- Less blood loss and need for blood transfusions
- Shorter hospital stay
- Significantly less pain and scarring
- Faster recovery
- Quicker return to normal activities.
- And a potentially better clinical outcome
Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits.
Physicians at St. John’s Mercy currently offering da Vinci® thymectomy:
Download the da Vinci® thymectomy brochure (PDF)
