Our team recently successfully performed Robotic-Assist CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) on a 93-year-old patient, making them the oldest to have undergone Robotic-Assist Cardiac Surgery in the country.
Commenting on the success of the surgery along with three more successful surgeries on 80+ year-old patients, Dr. M.M. Yusuf said, We are very happy to have successfully treated the heart diseases of our elderly patients with Robot-Assisted Heart Surgery. The angiogram (scan of blood vessels) findings of our patients showed that they were not suitable for stenting (inserting a mesh tube that keeps blood vessels open allowing blood flow) because their coronary arteries had become very still. Due to their age, frailty, and other comorbidities, they were also not suitable for traditional open coronary artery bypass surgery. Hence, minimally invasive robotic surgery was the best solution.
The surgery requires only a few holes on either side of the chest and a small incision on the chest wall. Therefore, the risks of surgical site infection are lower; surgical scars are smaller and almost unnoticeable, and patients experience almost no pain and blood loss. They also require a shorter hospital stay - usually only two to four days, and go back to leading their routine life within a couple of weeks. Our patients started walking and left for their homes within just five days of the surgery. These elderly patients who otherwise would have been left to manage their heart conditions with just medicines are now able to lead independent lives with fewer restrictions, and without the risk of heart attack looming over them at all times.
Robotic surgeries are done with the help of small instruments, robot-controlled tools; and a camera. This ensures more precision and provides greater flexibility and control for the surgeons during the operation. We have seen this minimally invasive approach save the lives of many patients who would have otherwise not been able to opt for surgery and its long-term benefits.
- Written by Pratham Upadhyay (Medical Student - University College London)
