Heart Surgery Using Robotics

Banner Health is using robotic surgery in some of its hospitals to offer  patients a different type of minimally invasive surgery.

Traditionally, surgeons have had to make a large incision, split patients' breastbones and spread their ribs in order to get good access to their hearts.  Robotic surgery, on the other hand, allows surgeons to make dime-sized incisions between patients' ribs during even complex procedures.

Some of the cardiac procedures that are being done with robotic-assisted surgery at Banner Health facilities are:

• Atrial septal defects: Sometimes known as a "hole in the heart'', surgeons using robotics can repair a defect between the heart's two upper chamber with less trauma to the body.
•  Bypass procedures: Surgeons bypass blocked arteries with a  blood vessel graft to restore normal blood flow to the heart. Robotic surgery can help allow some patients not to be placed on a heart-lung bypass machine during the operation.
• Congenital heart defects: Robotic surgery allows for a delicate procedure to correct a problem with the heart's structure that is present at birth.
• Mitral valve repair: Surgeons can use robotics' extreme precision to repair or replace the mitral valve inside the heart.

Please consult with your surgeon to see if you would be a candidate for robotic surgery.