Robotically assisted bypass surgery reduces complications after surgery and cuts recovery
Less invasive type of heart surgery using robotic precision is safe, quick and clean
2014-10-28
(Press-News.org) VANCOUVER ─ Robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is a rapidly evolving technology that shortens hospital stays and reduces the need for blood products, while decreasing recovery times, making the procedure safer and less risky, says a study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
"Robotically assisted CABG is a safe and feasible alternative approach to standard bypass surgery in properly selected patients. It is a less traumatic and less invasive approach than regular CABG," says cardiac surgeon and researcher Dr. Richard Cook of the University of British Columbia. "It may reduce complications following surgery, and in the Canadian experience, has been associated with an extremely low mortality rate."
For CABG, or bypass surgery, a surgeon uses a section of vein, usually from the patient's leg, or an artery from inside the patient's chest, to create a new route for oxygen-rich blood to reach the heart. It is performed to improve blood flow to the heart muscle caused by the build up of plaque in the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis).
The robot offers several technical advantages to surgeons including a magnified 3D view of the patient's heart, as well as the elimination of any kind of tremor, which makes for precise incisions.
For this study 300 patients (men and women 60 years or older) underwent robotically assisted CABG at three hospital sites. In addition to the Vancouver General Hospital, the study was undertaken at the London Health Sciences Centre, led by Drs. Bob Kiaii and Michael Chu, and at Montreal's Sacred Heart Hospital, led by Dr. Hugues Jeanmart.
There were no deaths in this group of patients, with only one patient developing a deep wound infection after the procedure.
The doctors performed the surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System. It consists of a "surgeon console" where the surgeon views a high definition 3D image inside the patient's body. When the surgeon's fingers move the master controls, the system's "patient-side cart" springs into action with three or four robotic arms mimicking the surgeon's hand, wrist and finger movements with surgical instruments.
With traditional CABG the average hospital stay is five to six days. With the robotically assisted surgery, that was cut to an average of four days in the group of patients having surgery at London Health Sciences Centre; the hospital with the greatest experience with robotically-assisted cardiac surgery in Canada.
There was also less blood loss, which translated into a lower need for blood products. The more precise incisions also mean less cosmetic scarring.
Patients from the study reported being back to near normal levels of activity within a couple of weeks. With standard CABG, patients are asked to avoid driving or lifting any weights over 10 pounds for six weeks.
"Each year nearly 25,000 bypass surgeries are performed in Canada,; it is the most common form of surgery for people with heart disease," says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson, author of Heart Health for Canadians. "Surgery saves lives and helps improve quality of life. The safer we can make the surgery, the more lives we can save."
She adds that bypass surgery doesn't cure the underlying heart disease. "Health behaviour changes and medications as prescribed by your healthcare providers are critical to preventing further damage."
Currently, 17 centres across Canada use this robotic technology for surgery. However, they are used primarily in the fields of urology and gynecology. Dr. Cook and his colleagues hope findings from this study will increase the use robotically assisted heart surgery.
The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress is co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
INFORMATION:
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Foundation or CCS policy or position. The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
About the Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen. heartandstroke.ca
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
CCC 2014 MEDIA OFFICE AT 778-331-7618 (Oct 25-28).
Amanda Bates
Curve Communications
amanda@curvecommunications.com
office: 604-684-3170
cell: 604-306-0027 Gina Vesnaver
Curve Communications
gina@curvecommunications.com
office: 604-684-3170
cell: 604-317-6129
Congress information and media registration is at http://www.cardiocongress.org
After October 28, 2014, contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
jfraser@hsf.ca (613) 691-4020
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2014-10-28
For the first time, researchers have found that exposure to radioactive iodine is associated with more aggressive forms of thyroid cancer, according to a careful study of nearly 12,000 people in Belarus who were exposed when they were children or adolescents to fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.
Researchers examined thyroid cancers diagnosed up to two decades after the Chernobyl accident and found that higher thyroid radiation doses estimated from measurements taken shortly after the accident were associated with more aggressive tumor features.
"Our ...
2014-10-28
VANCOUVER ─ When heart symptoms strike, men and women go through similar stages of pain but women are more likely to delay seeking care and can put their health at risk, according to a study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
"The main danger is that when someone comes to the hospital with a more severe or advanced stage of heart disease, there are simply fewer treatment options available," says Dr. Catherine Kreatsoulas, lead author of the study and a Fulbright Scholar and Heart and Stroke Foundation Research Fellow at the Harvard School of Public ...
2014-10-28
This news release is available in French. Compared to men who have had only one partner during their lifetime, having sex with more than 20 women is associated with a 28% lower risk of one day being diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier. However, having more than 20 male partners in one's lifetime is associated with a twofold higher risk of getting prostate cancer compared to those who have never slept with a man.
Marie-Elise Parent and Marie-Claude Rousseau, professors at university's ...
2014-10-27
PULLMAN, Wash. - Politicians who discredit global warming risk losing a big chunk of the female vote. A new study found women who consider the long-term consequences of their actions are more likely to adopt a liberal political orientation and take consumer and political steps to reduce global warming.
Jeff Joireman, associate professor of marketing at Washington State University, demonstrated that "future-oriented" women are the voting bloc most strongly motivated to invest money, time and taxes toward reducing global warming.
Previous studies have shown that women ...
2014-10-27
Both agave nectar and a placebo were more effective than no treatment for young children's cough symptoms, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. The findings suggest that a placebo could help children more than "watchful waiting."
The Food and Drug Administration recommends against the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children under two years old due to safety concerns and a lack of evidence for their effectiveness in this age group. As part of a voluntary change announced in 2008 by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, ...
2014-10-27
Astronomers with the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) captured pictures not only of Thursday's partial solar eclipse, but also of the "monster" sized active region or sun spot that has many comparing it to one of a similar size that occurred 11 years ago.
The sun spots were earlier reported by scientists with the NSF-supported National Solar Observatory. According to astronomers Frank Hill and Kiran Jain, "As of Oct 21, 2014, a very large active region is currently on the solar disk and producing flares as strong as ...
2014-10-27
A large active region on the sun erupted with another X-class flare on Oct. 27, 2014 -- its fourth since Oct. 24. The flare peaked at 10:47 a.m. EDT.
X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.
To see how this event may affect Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.
Continuing a week's worth ...
2014-10-27
A world without plants would be a world without oxygen, uninhabitable for us and for many creatures. We know plants release oxygen by absorbing carbon dioxide and breaking down water using sunlight through the process of photosynthesis. However, we know little about the mechanics of how plants create oxygen during photosynthesis. A breakthrough that will help advance our understanding of this critical ecological process was made recently by scientists at LSU.
"Without photosynthesis or oxygen, basically all recognizable life that we see in our landscape would be gone: ...
2014-10-27
Chicago, October 27, 2014—The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research today released the results of a major new study and related reports on the recovery from Superstorm Sandy in 12 New York and New Jersey neighborhoods hard hit by the 2012 storm.
It is the second AP-NORC study that has focused on the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, with findings that emphasize the important role social factors play in a neighborhood's resilience: the ability of people and their social systems to survive, adapt and continue moving forward after a disaster. Funding ...
2014-10-27
This news release is available in French. One in three children who have been reunified with their families after being placed in foster care will be maltreated again, according to a study into Quebec's youth protection system by Marie-Andrée Poirier and Sonia Hélie of the University of Montreal's School of Social Services. The study, the first of its kind in the world, was undertaken in the wake of a new law intended to improve the family stability of youth receiving child protection services.
The researchers, who are also affiliated with the Centre jeunesse ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Robotically assisted bypass surgery reduces complications after surgery and cuts recovery
Less invasive type of heart surgery using robotic precision is safe, quick and clean
