Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
Heart disease is the No. 2 "killer" in Hong Kong. Coronary heart disease is among the most common. It refers to the narrowing of coronary arteries due to cholesterol accumulation which eventually leads to myocardial ischemia. Patients will develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and angina. If the medication is not effective, doctors often recommend patients to perform the angioplasty operation. This operation involves placing a balloon in the position where the blood vessel is open and blocked. If the case is deemed more serious with calcification or more than one coronary artery severely blocked, then the angioplasty operation would not be ideal. The new form of treatment: bypass aims to build a new passage under the blocked blood vessels by allowing blood to effectively flow to the heart.
Traditional CABG
The bypass is a cardiothoracic surgery performed for approximately 2 to 4 hours. The doctor will use other blood vessels of the patient, such as the vessels from the chest, hand, or from the leg as a bridge. One end is connected to the aorta and the other end is connected to the main area of the narrowed position of the coronary artery in order for blood to bypass the stenosis and flow back to the heart muscle. Depending on the existing health of the patient, post-operation recovery will take 2 to 3 months.
Risks of Traditional Bypass Surgery
The bypass surgery requires an open chest surgery including the chest bone. As a result, the healing process takes much longer.
Bridges help build new blood vessels to increase blood supply. Post-surgery patients will have to drastically change their lifestyle and eating habits to prevent repeated blockage in their vessels in the future.
Approximately 50% of the newly built blood vessels will be re-blocked within a decade. Under normal circumstances, it is possible to perform an angioplasty to expand the blocked blood vessels. Only a few patients will special cases will require a redo in bypass surgery.
Innovative Method – CABG with Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System
The Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System (Da Vinci) does not require surgeons to perform the traditional open heart surgery which requires the opening of chest bone. There is almost no bleeding and no risk of infection in the wound in comparison to conventional surgery. In addition, there is no major pain and sensory disturbance due to a minimally invasive surgery with MICS. Patients can enter rehabilitation stage much earlier with shorter hospital stays and significantly faster recovery time.
Advantages of Da Vinci System:
Small wounds - The system does not require the opening of the chest bone. It only requires the insertion of a few small holes around the rib bone area approximately 1-2cm in diameter.
Less pain after surgery - Due to the small punctures during the surgery, the pain after surgery is hugely reduced.
Less bleeding during surgery - The amount of bleeding is very little compared to open chest surgery.
Lower chance of complications after surgery - Due to the minimally invasive procedure, the chance of receiving postoperative complications is extremely low.
Short recovery time - The wound is small and recovers quickly. Patients can be discharged from the hospital 3 days after the operation.
【 What is Da Vinci 】
The Da Vinci Robotic System is designed, manufactured and sold by Intuitive Surgical, based in California. This is not an ordinary cardiac thoracotomy. It can be done by simply opening 2-5 small holes in the body. It is the most minimally invasive cardiac surgery performed on humans. The Da Vinci Robotic System was developed in the United States in the 1990s and was sold by Intuitive Surgical in 1999. The endoscope camera and the robotic arms are inserted from the incision during the operation, and the doctor remotely manipulates the robotic arms to perform surgery by capturing the field through the 3D imaging system.
