A new robotic procedure to correct atrial fibrillation has been carried out by a team of doctors at the Beaumont Hospital, Troy on March 2, 2011. Michigan's first minimally invasive surgery was considered as an alternative to open-heart surgery.
This robotic maze procedure, performed through tiny incisions, assured greater precision, lower chance of complications, and a shorter hospital stay.
Electrophysiology cardiologists, Brian Williamson and Ilana Kutinsky, and cardiovascular surgeon, Phillip Robinson, performed the robotic-assisted maze procedure on a 66-year-old woman. This maze procedure was aimed at stopping an irregular heartbeat and restoring a normal heart rhythm. Patients with irregular heartbeat who cannot be cured with medicines and other non surgical methods are subjected to a maze procedure.
During this procedure, the doctor makes five tiny incisions in the patient's chest and inserts a tiny endoscopic robotic camera to monitor the outer surface of the heart. The robotic camera enables the surgeon to view 3-D images on the console and direct the robotic arms fitted with surgical instruments accordingly. The surgeon controls the robot’s arms to pass a device through minute incisions for destroying selected areas of the heart tissue. The surgeon with the help of the robot creates a way for normal electrical signals to travel to the heart's lower chambers. The robotic maze procedure can be performed in a few hours time and most patients leave the hospital in a matter of few days.
Source: http://www.beaumonthospitals.com/