5 Common Myths About Robotic Heart Surgery.
Introduction
Robotic heart surgery is a relatively new and growing field, but it's not without its share of myths. This article will help you understand what robotic heart surgery is really about and bust some common misconceptions.
Heart surgery is scary, and a lot of rumors have sprung up about the procedure.
Heart surgery can be scary, and a lot of rumors have sprung up about the procedure. It's important to know what's true and what's not—especially if you or someone you love is scheduled for heart surgery.
There are many myths about robotic heart surgery, including:
The robot will make your organs explode. This is false! The robot simply helps surgeons perform their work more accurately and efficiently than they could with human hands alone.
Heart surgery requires you to go into cardiac arrest before being revived by your doctor (who also happens to be playing God). This isn't true either! In fact, some patients choose not to have general anesthesia at all when undergoing robotic coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) because it allows them more control over their bodies during the procedure.
It's cutting-edge–but that doesn't mean it's unproven.
Robotic heart surgery has been around for almost 20 years. It's not new, but it is cutting-edge–and that doesn't mean it's unproven. Robotic heart surgery has been used in more than a million procedures worldwide since 2000, so it's certainly established itself as a viable option for many patients and their surgeons. In fact, robotic-aided heart surgery is now performed more often than traditional open-heart procedures in the United States and Europe combined. The results are also impressive: A study published in The Lancet showed that patients who underwent robotic heart valve replacement had significantly better outcomes compared with those who underwent conventional open-heart valve repair or replacement by itself (1).
It's not done by robots.
The first myth that we'll tackle is that robotic heart surgery is done by robots. It's not! Robotic heart surgery is performed by a surgeon, who uses robotic tools to achieve a better, more precise result than could be achieved without them.
The most important tool in this regard is the da Vinci surgical system. This machine allows surgeons to see inside the body with smaller incisions (1-3 cm) or no incisions at all, which reduces trauma and scarring and makes it easier for patients to recover after their operation.
Robotic heart surgery is not always off-limits because of your age or your health.
Age. While it's true that a person's age can make him or her ineligible for certain procedures, age is not always a factor in determining eligibility for robotic heart surgery. In fact, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), some doctors believe that older adults actually benefit from robotic heart procedures more than younger patients.
Health status and other medical conditions. Many people believe that if they are overweight or have high blood pressure, diabetes or other chronic illnesses, then they cannot have robotic heart surgery because their health will be too poor to withstand such an operation. However, this isn't necessarily true; your doctor will consider any medical conditions you may have before he makes recommendations about what type of procedure would be best for you after reviewing your case history and performing a physical exam on you.*
It can be done with just a couple small incisions in your chest.
However, the incisions that are made in order to access the heart are typically small. The surgeon will make an incision of about an inch long in your chest wall. This incision is made through the breast tissue and not under it.
The second incision is usually made under your breast tissue or through your nipple (mastectomy patients only). This is because there's no need for robotic arms to reach deep into the chest cavity like they would during traditional open-heart surgery.
A lot of what you've heard about robotic heart surgery isn't true!
Not all patients are eligible for robotic heart surgery. In fact, most surgeons may not be able to perform a robotic-assisted heart operation on you because they don't have the proper training or equipment. If you live far away from an appropriate hospital or if your condition is too complex, then it might be impossible to have this type of procedure done at all.
Surgery cannot be done through small incisions in the chest like traditional open-heart procedures were before the advent of minimally invasive surgery methods such as minimally invasive valve replacement or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Robotic-assisted left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation requires at least one large incision in the patient's upper abdomen (bellybutton).
Robotic-assisted heart surgeries are not always cutting edge because they aren't as new and experimental as many people assume them to be—they actually date back several years now! Nevertheless, there's no denying that this type of surgical intervention has made major strides forward since its introduction into mainstream medicine back when it was first developed by Drs Norman Shumway and Frank Gerhardt during their time at Stanford University Medical Center between 1973 and 1982.
Conclusion
The truth is, robotic heart surgery is a safe, effective option for many patients. It can help you avoid some of the risks associated with conventional approaches and improve your overall quality of life. If you think this procedure might be right for you, ask your doctor about it today!
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