da Vinci^® Cardiothoracic Surgery

Since performing the first open-heart surgery in 1958, St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has been at the forefront of cardiac care. As a leader in the prevention, detection, and treatment of heart disease, the hospital performs more than 800 open-heart procedures each year, many utilizing minimally invasive techniques with the da Vinci® Surgical System. With this advanced technology, surgeons gain enhanced vision, precision, dexterity, and control.

Procedures that once required a sternotomy (splitting the breastbone and ribcage) can now be performed through a few small incisions between the ribs using the da Vinci® system. Compared to traditional open surgery, minimally invasive da Vinci® surgery offers numerous benefits, including shorter, safer operations, faster recovery, less pain, and fewer complications. Most patients stay in the hospital for three to four days compared to six to seven days with traditional surgery. Additionally, because no bones are broken during the procedure, full recovery typically takes just one month, allowing patients to return to their daily activities much sooner.

Although the da Vinci® system is often referred to as a robot, it is fully controlled by the surgeon, who operates it remotely from a console. The system enhances the surgeon’s abilities, improving visualization and dexterity for complex procedures such as robotic coronary bypass or mitral valve repair. The surgeon’s technique is further refined through the da Vinci® robot’s ability to scale motion and filter any tremors, ensuring precision with every movement.

The da Vinci® Surgical System provides surgeons with 3D visualization, a full range of motion, and intuitive control, making these procedures less invasive and more precise. The result is fewer complications, reduced pain, and minimal blood loss for patients.

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital was the first in the region to acquire and use the da Vinci® robotic surgical system in 2005. Today, the hospital offers a wide range of cardiothoracic procedures using da Vinci®, including:

• Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Repair
• Single Vessel Coronary Artery Bypass
• Mitral Valve Repair
• Myxoma (Tumor) Removal
• Severe Mitral Regurgitation Repair
• Hybrid Treatment for Three-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease
• Tricuspid Valve Repair
• Valve Prolapse Repair

At this time, patients requiring aortic valve surgery, multiple valve procedures, or a combination of valve and coronary bypass surgery are not candidates for the robotic approach. However, as surgical technology continues to advance, these options will become available in the future.

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