Cardiac surgery at Deborah Heart and Lung Center encompasses state-of-the-art procedures as well as traditional heart surgery. Advances in the field in recent years have expanded cardiac care’s capabilities while dramatically shrinking recovery time and discomfort.
“Traditional” heart surgery is open-heart surgery, the standard of care and which requires cutting through the breastbone and temporarily stopping the heart.
Minimally invasive, robotic or robotic-assisted surgeries are increasingly addressing issues that used to require the traditional approach, but which can now be treated by accessing the heart through shorter incisions in the side of the chest and inserting robot-controlled instruments and cameras between the ribs.
Smaller is better in terms of patient experience because less trauma to the body means less pain, less infection risk and less time out of life: recovery time is reduced to weeks, instead of months.
“Nowadays we can treat pretty much everything, most heart conditions, with a minimally invasive approach,” said Cardiothoracic Surgeon Allen Cheng, MD, Department Chair of Surgery at Deborah. “With the right surgeon at the right center, valve procedures, bypass, congenital defects, aortic disease—all can be done minimally invasively.”
KYW’s Rasa Kaye talks with Dr. Cheng about advances in cardiac surgery and the innovations on the horizon that are transforming surgical intervention technology and techniques.
To schedule an appointment, visit DemandDeborah.org or call 609-831-4456.
This Health Report is sponsored by Deborah Heart and Lung Center.