Hyderabad, India (CU)_ A nine-year-old kid with a hole in the heart underwent successful robotic pediatric cardiac surgery at the Apollo Hospitals in Bengaluru. If timely treatment was not given, the boy’s lungs and heart might have sustained permanent damage. Hence, within one hour, the team of surgeons led by Dr. Sathyaki Nambala, Chief Surgeon, Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, successfully finished the operation.
This robot-assisted pediatric heart surgery is the first of its type in the nation for this age range. A hole in the heart, or Atrial Septal Condition (ASD), affects blood flow and is a congenital heart defect. In severe cases, ASD might be harmful to the functioning of the heart and lungs in the long term. Among the factors that may contribute to the development of ASD are specific medical disorders and drugs, genetics, and lifestyle.
Dr. Sathyaki Nambala expressed optimism over the first-of-its-kind robotic pediatric heart surgery. He said, “When the 9-year-old patient visited Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, he was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) or more commonly known as a hole in the heart. However, owing to the condition and anatomy of the defect, the only option to address the case was open heart surgery. On further analysis and evaluation of the case, the team at Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru arrived at the decision to proceed with a Robotic closure of the defect or robotic cardiac surgery.” He added, “The completion of this robot assisted surgery is a milestone achievement in the field of cardiac surgery. The 9-year-old patient is the first to undergo a Robotic Cardiac Surgery in this particular pediatric age group in the country and to get discharged with-in 24 hours of surgery”.
Multiple robotic arms assisted by a camera are placed through 8 mm ports to perform robotic heart surgery. Thus, the wounds are tiny and shrunk. The key benefits of robotic surgery compared to minimally invasive cardiac surgery are the absence of blood loss, the small wounds (about 8 mm), and the absence of rib spreading during the operation, which result in a better postoperative period that is entirely painless. In addition, the need for painkillers following surgery is reduced, allowing for a speedy recovery and discharge within twenty-four hours after surgery.
