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da Vinci® Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Maze Surgery
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
Robotic assisted minimally invasive maze surgery is an advanced procedure for atrial fibrillation. This minimally invasive procedure, similar to MAZE surgery, uses ablation rather than a scalpel and is performed with the da Vinci® Si Surgical System (da Vinci), a robotic computer technology. Unlike traditional open-heart surgery, this procedure does not require the use of a heart-lung machine.How da Vinci® Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Maze Surgery Is Performed
During the procedure, small keyhole incisions (one to two centimeters) are made on the chest, between the ribs. One of the incisions is used to pass a tiny camera, called an endoscope, to allow the atria to be viewed. The other two incisions are used to insert robotic surgical tools. During the operation, the surgeon sits at a console in the surgical suite and monitors the video screens to direct the robotic arms to perform the surgery. Maneuvering the surgical robot, the surgeon inserts tiny tubes, called catheters, through the incisions to the heart. A flexible ablation device is passed through the catheters. The device delivers hot or cold energy to the atrial tissue, which destroys (ablates) parts of the artrium in specific sequential areas that form a pattern of scar tissue. This pattern creates a "maze" of new electrical pathways so that electrical impulses can travel easily through the heart.
Benefits of da Vinci® Robotic Assisted Minimally Invasive Maze Surgery
Robotic assisted minimally invasive maze surgery offers the same benefits as open-heart maze surgery with shorter hospitalization, less bleeding, and a faster recovery.
Robotic assisted minimally invasive maze surgery is only ideal for patients at low risk of complications. Each patient's diagnosis and treatment is unique and your physician will recommend the best approach for you. If the da Vinci robotic assisted minimally invasive maze procedure is not ideal for you, maze surgery can also be performed as open-heart surgery with a heart-lung machine.
