Cardiac Services
Cardiothoracic Surgery Procedures
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery is quickly becoming the
standard of care at Rhode Island Hospital. We routinely apply the
full range of minimally invasive techniques and technology for many
of our patients with valvular disease or coronary artery disease.
We also apply these techniques to many children and infants with
congenital heart defects.
The advantages of minimally invasive heart surgery include:
- smaller incisions
- no incision through the middle of the sternum
- avoidance of cardiopulmonary bypass
Many of our patients leave the hospital within four days of their
operation and return to work within two or three weeks.
Minimally invasive surgery is applicable to the broadest range
of complex cardiac cases. 20-30 percent of all our procedures are performed
using minimally invasive techniques. These include:
- minimally invasive off-bypass coronary artery bypass (OPCAB),
- less invasive sternal approach (LISA) and
- minimal access surgery (MACS).
Keyhole surgery techniques have also been effective in repairing
heart valves and congenital heart defects. It is the preferred approach
for aortic valve replacement, especially in elderly patients, and
is well suited for patients who have had prior valve procedures.
For mitral valve repair or replacement procedures, surgeons often
find that the keyhole approach provides access equal to that achieved
in traditional open-chest surgery. Structural and congenital cardiac
defects can be repaired with more cosmetically appealing approaches
for our younger patients.
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