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Robotically Assisted Preparation of an Internal Mammary
Artery for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Fargo, N.D.
– On Monday, Oct. 14, 2002, the nation’s first live surgical
webcast of a robotically assisted heart surgery will take place at
MeritCare Health System, Fargo, N.D. The webcast will be available
for viewing by the public anywhere in the world. This will give the
public an unprecedented, first look at robotically assisted surgery
in action. (MeritCare is one of a handful of healthcare institutions
in the nation to broadcast a live, surgical webcast and is the first
in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.)
The surgery will be performed by MeritCare cardiovascular and thoracic
surgeon Roxanne Newman, M.D., and will be broadcast live, via webcast
on Oct. 14 at 5 p.m., CDT. MeritCare cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon
Ajit Damle, M.D., will field questions from the public and healthcare
professionals from across the nation that are submitted via an e-mail
link during the live webcast.
So far, due to FDA approval requirements, MeritCare heart surgeons
have only used the robot to assist with small surgical steps within
larger heart procedures. The robotically assisted portion of the surgery
will be the preparing of an internal mammary artery for coronary artery
bypass surgery. Currently, MeritCare heart surgeons use the robot
three-to-four times a week for this procedure.
About the Robot
The robot is called the da Vinci Surgical System.
It is the industry leader in operative robotic surgery and the first
system approved by the FDA to perform surgery. It is used in general,
urologic and gynecologic surgery; most recently, it was approved for
use in heart procedures. MeritCare is one of 68 medical centers across
the country using the da Vinci system.
In the next few months, the FDA will likely approve robotically assisted
surgery for repairing and replacing heart valves. “This is the
very beginning of a new frontier,” says Dr. Newman. “We’re
limited in what we can do right now because the FDA has not yet approved
many applications, but that will come, and when it does we’ll
be ready. The FDA wants this technology to be successful, and so do
we.” In the next year, MeritCare hopes to qualify as a clinical
trial center for total endoscopic cononary artery bypass – minimally
invasive heart surgery. “This is our ultimate goal,” says
Dr. Newman. “This is how we’re going to tremendously reduce
patient recovery time.”
Developed by Intuitive Surgical of California,
the da Vinci robot has two major components. One is the surgeon’s
viewing and control console and monitor, which is situated a few feet
from the patient, but theoretically could be miles away. The console
provides the surgeon with a sharp, three-dimensional view inside the
body – sharper and more magnified than it could ever be with
the special magnifying glasses worn by surgeons today. At the other
end of the spectrum, three robotic arms – one equipped with
a tiny camera and the other two equipped with small surgical instruments
– carry out the procedure through the small incisions in the
patient’s chest. Sitting at the console, the surgeon guides
the surgical instruments through a set of fingertip controls.
About the Procedure
Approximately 375,000 bypass surgeries are performed
each year in the United States. At MeritCare, heart surgeons last
year performed over 600 heart surgeries. Currently, patients undergoing
coronary bypass surgery receive a 6-to-8 inch incision to open their
chest cavity. In the not-too-distant future, bypass surgery will require
only three half-inch incisions made between the ribs. Through these
incisions, three thin robotic arms will gain access to the heart,
allowing the surgeon to perform surgery without opening the chest.
For patients, it can translate to a faster, easier recovery with decreased
chance of infection.
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