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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070905/AQW040 )
For the first time during a totally endoscopic coronary artery bypassprocedure, Marc R. Katz, M.D. and his team at Bon Secours Saint Mary'sHospital in Richmond, Virginia used the C-Port Flex A system to connect abypass graft, to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. The patient wasreleased from the hospital two days following the minimally-invasive bypassprocedure and already is participating in routine daily activities.
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Following the successful completion of the closed-chest bypass procedure,Dr. Katz said, "The Flex A system has the potential to revolutionize the fieldof cardiothoracic surgery, as it enhances closed-chest, robot-assisted bypassprocedures. Minimally-invasive bypass surgeries produce better patientoutcomes, and substantially reduce pain and trauma and provide a quickerreturn to normal functionality for the patient." More information on Dr.Katz's robotic procedures can be found at http://www.roboticheartsurgery.info.
Closely following Dr. Katz' surgery, Dr. Louis A. Brunsting and his teamat Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee used the Flex A system tocomplete a multivessel minimally-invasive bypass procedure on a 67-year oldmale patient who had undergone hip replacement surgery one week earlier. Theprocedure was performed through four one-inch port access incisions in theleft chest, which allowed the patient to resume physical therapy for his hipthe following day.
"Just as the advent of endoscopic stapling and suturing devices madelaparoscopic surgery commonplace for abdominal surgeries, the Flex A systemovercomes the most significant limitation in robot-assisted bypass proceduresby replacing hand-sewn sutures with automated, consistent anastomoses,"commented Dr. Brunsting.
"We believe that the Flex A system together with the da Vinci robot movesthe reality of closed chest bypass surgery several steps closer, by providingreliable and reproducible deployment of the anastomosis," said J. MichaelSmith, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon and head of robotics for Good SamaritanHospital in Cincinnati. "There is a critical need for alternatives to drugeluting stents for patients suffering from coronary artery disease."
"These clinical 'firsts' demonstrate that we are realizing our vision ofenabling minimally-invasive, sternum-sparing bypass procedures," said BernardA. Hausen, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cardica, Inc."We congratulate these surgeons on advancing the field of medicine both forthe surgeons who follow and most importantly for the patients."
Closed Chest Bypass Procedures
During minimally-invasive, closed-chest bypass procedures the surgeonguides the da Vinci(R) Surgical System to perform precise movements throughfingertip-size incisions in the chest area, similar to the procedures forminimally-invasive abdominal surgery. To ensure the highest level of safetyfor the patient, the cardiothoracic surgeon creates an additional safety portinsertion for extreme instances in which the surgeon needs direct and suddenaccess to the heart. The Flex A eliminates a key bottleneck to the broadadoption of minimally-invasive bypass procedures as it replaces hand-sewnsutures with an automated connection of the vessel graft to the coronaryartery, which can be performed consistently, quickly and reliably. Thisconnecti
