The Robotic Cardiac Surgery Program at Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian has reached another remarkable milestone by completing its 300th robotic heart surgery. This achievement places Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian at the forefront of this technological revolution in cardiac surgery, which promises to expand what is possible for safely and effectively treating heart disease.
"Over the past two years, we have been the fastest growing program in the nation," says Arnar Geirsson, MD, Director of the Surgical Heart Valve Program. “We are currently one of the country’s largest programs, based on annual volume.”
Robotic cardiac surgery continues to gain traction and expand into new areas of treatment. Advances in technology, access, and surgical training have made these high-tech procedures more practical and available. Widespread adoption has made procedures like robotic mitral valve repair a viable alternative to traditional open surgery.
And thanks to the enhanced precision and smaller incisions used, robotic surgery offers patients a number of benefits, including reduced post-operative pain, faster recovery, a lower risk of complications, and less scarring.
But as with any surgery, the skill and experience of the surgeon remain the largest determining factors for successful outcomes. Based on annual volume, Dr. Geirsson is one of the busiest robotic mitral surgeons in the US. According to him, “that is only possible thanks to our dedicated team of surgeon-first assistants, scrub techs, nurses, anesthesiologists, and perfusionists.”
The high-volume program continues to produce exceptional outcomes. 80% of the robotic procedures have been mitral valve repair, with 99% of mitral valve prolapse successfully repaired, and 99% of these repairs performed without conversion to sternotomy. “It really is an amazing achievement,” says Emile Bacha, MD, Chief, Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, & Vascular Surgery at Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian. “It’s an incredible amount of success in a short period of time,” adds Hiroo Takayama, MD, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery.
In addition to mitral valve repair, the robotic surgery program performs a wide range of hybrid minimally invasive treatments, including mitral valve replacement, isolated tricuspid valve repair, aortic valve replacement, treatments for congenital heart defects in both adults and children, intracardiac tumor resection, and reoperative mitral valve repair or replacement.
As the number of procedures performed robotically expands, so do the potential benefits for patients. “For years, surgery has moved towards less invasive strategies,” says Dr. Geirsson. “For cardiovascular disease, robotic surgery offers that option. And more options are always a good thing for the patient.”
Related:
- Why Robotics? Five Questions with Heart Surgeon Dr. Arnar Geirsson
- Dr. AI: Is Robotic Heart Surgery Better than Open Heart Surgery for Mitral Valve Repair?
- What to Know about Robotic Repair for Mitral Disease