The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `Da Vinci' replaces heart valve

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 08, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`Da Vinci' replaces heart valve

Special Correspondent

DOC'S RIGHT HAND: Dr. Ravi Kumar with the Da Vinci robot

HYDERABAD: Heart surgeons at CARE Hospital here have replaced the mitral valve in the fist-sized muscular organ of a 23-year-old patient using a robot.

Mitral valve regulates the flow of blood in the two chambers of the heart on the left side and ensures proper circulation. The patient, Mr. H, was diagnosed with a tight and leaky valve, among other things, when he complained of shortness of breath and palpitations.

Doctors had the option of performing an open heart surgery that involves cutting of the sternum (breast bone) and making a huge longitudinal incision. But, they decided to use the $1.2 million Da Vinci robot, so named perhaps because it is a work of art, according to Dr. Ravi Kumar.

Three more cases

Eight days after replacement of his mitral valve with a synthetic one, Mr. H. posed for pictures before the media here on Saturday showing off the 5 cm long incision on his chest minus his pre-surgery breathing difficulties. Since September 29, the US-trained Dr. Ravi Kumar has performed robot-assisted heart surgeries on three more patients in CARE Hospital.

One of them is a 23-year-old woman, who had difficulty delivering her baby due to shortness of breath. Diagnosed with an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), a hole in the heart, she wanted another child but was advised against it till the defect in the heart was repaired.

CARE Hospital chairman, Dr. B. Soma Raju, and Dr. Ravi Kumar told reporters on Saturday that the surgery on Mr. H was the first robot-assisted mitral valve replacement in India. He clarified that other hospitals had performed mitral valve repair but not replacement as such.

Da Vinci works thus

Dr. Ravi Kumar explained that the robot, which is operated by the heart surgeon sitting at the console and manipulating the tiny `fingers' 5 mm to 10 mm thick, ensures great precision, excellent visualisation and less blood transfusion. It would soon be used for a wide range of other surgeries such as coronary bypass and those for urological and gynaecological disorders.

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