Closed Heart Surgery

The major drawbacks of open heart surgery result from the surgery being "open" and Dr. Sudhir P. Srivastava from Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta has reduced these drawbacks by keeping the procedure closed. Dr. Srivastava is a world leading cardiothoracic surgeon and performed the first-in-Georgia beating heart, completely endoscopic coronary artery bypass surgery on March 20. Because of how well the procedure went, the patient was released two days later versus the traditional five to seven day hospital stay. The surgery is done through four or five dime-sized incisions instead of opening the entire chest and results in less trauma to the body, a decrease in the risk of infection and a reduction in the time it takes the patient to recover. This procedure was done with robotic assistance as Dr. Srivastava is an experienced cardiac robotic surgeon and has done many of the world's robotic firsts. This approach to heart surgery provides the patient with the choice of closing his or her surgery in hopes of making the entire process quicker and safer.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143887.php

Brittany Sanchez

VTPP 435-502