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We do robotically assist at heart surgery.
The robot is a tool,
and the question in each individual patient is,
is the robot the right tool to assist the surgeon
in doing the operation?
So at the Cleveland Clinic, we identify the right patient
under the right circumstances
with the right technology
and give them not only optimal outcomes,
but the best outcomes anywhere.
Robotics, utilized appropriately, allow a surgeon
and a team to deliver the same high quality,
durable valve repair as we've shown
for 50 years via an open chest.
So valve repair from the simplest
to the most complex is possible utilizing robots.
It is a far less traumatic experience.
We're essentially taking a large incision
that divides the entire breastbone,
we're moving it to the right,
where you're going in between the ribs
and really having only about a three
to four centimeter main incision,
and then incisions for the various working ports.
So cosmetically, it's a huge improvement
but then also, in terms of chest stability
and shoulder girdle stability post-operatively,
it's a huge benefit.
The robot enables us to get excellent visualization
to have very defined and fine technical movement
in a small space.
The robot has two parts.
One sits right next to the patient,
and it's got four different arms.
They're long tubes that go into the patient,
into the side through little puncture holes,
and each one of these tubes holds an instrument or a camera.
The surgeon is sitting down at a console
that looks like a very elaborate video game.
We get unparalleled visualization inside the heart.
We leverage the advanced nature of robotics.
That gives us 10 times high definition,
three-dimensional visualization of the valve
and not two arms, but four arms being able
to cut, and sew, and nip, and tuck
and fix the valve so it looks perfect like a piece of art.
It's still an operation.
So it's going to take two, three, four weeks to recover,
but it takes longer to recover
from regular surgery through the front.
So the patient will have a quicker recovery.
Second consideration for the patient is cosmetic.
It gives a smaller incision, so a smaller scar.
The whole philosophy of minimally invasive surgery is
that if you can provide the same operation,
the same durability, the same quality,
that less evasive approach is by definition better,
but the main goal is to make sure
that we're providing excellent care for the patient.
That's number one.
Robotic heart surgery is difficult.
It requires the surgeon to learn a new skillset,
something you don't learn in medical school.
You don't learn in a regular residency.
You need to do specialized training.
At Cleveland Clinic, we are fortunate
to have the world's best robotic cardiac surgery team.
Our results are simply spectacular.
We have the benefit here
of having an incredibly high volume,
and the expertise there affects
all aspects of the operation.
We've developed a very efficient process
that's also very safe and also very effective.
There's really no better place anywhere
to ensure that you're getting the latest technology,
the latest therapy, by the most appropriate teams
who are the most highly skilled anywhere
in the world delivering the best outcomes,
but importantly, in the most human way.
This is a big deal.
People who come to us have life threatening problems,
and that means they are entrusting us with their lives,
and that is a very sacred commitment on our part.
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