The successful performance of a robotically assisted, minimally invasive direct vision coronary artery bypass graft surgery at Modesto, Calif.-based Doctors Medical Center is thought to be the first of its kind in the region, reported the Escalon Times Aug. 15.
The surgery was performed by John deGraft-Johnson, MD, utilizing a da Vinci robot to conduct the minimally invasive procedure, in contrast to an open heart procedure. The physician controls the robotics arms to manipulate small instruments with a greater range of motion and heightened precision.
"This is the first Minimally Invasive Multivessel CABG in the region, to my knowledge," said Dr. Dan Bethencourt, assistant clinical professor of surgery at Stanford University Medical School's Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. "Using the da Vinci to mobilize the LIMA (Left Internal Mammary Artery) is notable, as it can be expected to greatly reduce pain during recovery."