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In some quality tech news, doctors have managed to perform a surgery on a heart patient without having to open their chest to do so. This procedure enables patients to recovery faster and can help them get back to work faster after the surgery if they choose to do so.
It is a massive improvement for heart operations and bolds well for surgeries in the near future.
eandt.theiet.org
Surgeons in Houston, Texas, have used robotic tools to perform heart transplant surgery on a patient without opening his chest.
The minimally invasive surgery, performed at Baylor St Luke's Medical Center, reduced surgical trauma, blood loss and infection risk and increased recovery time for the 45-year-old patient.
During the procedure, surgeons made small incisions in the upper abdominal wall below the diaphragm, eliminating the need to open the chest and break the breastbone.
The robot was then navigated through the preperitoneal space in the abdominal wall to remove the diseased heart. The same route was then used to implant the donor organ.
“Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient's recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants,” said lead surgeon Dr Kenneth Liao, chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor.
As it’s a minimally invasive procedure compared to traditional chest-opening procedures, the recovery period is drastically reduced, with less risk of infection and complications.
The patient had been in hospital since November 2024 with multiple mechanical devices supporting heart function.
Following the transplant in March 2025, the patient spent a month in hospital recovering before being discharged, without any complications.
Liao said: “This transplant shows what is possible when innovation and surgical experience come together to improve patient care.
It is a massive improvement for heart operations and bolds well for surgeries in the near future.
First fully robotic heart transplant in the US performed without opening patient's chest
First fully robotic heart transplant in the US performed without opening chest
eandt.theiet.org
The minimally invasive surgery, performed at Baylor St Luke's Medical Center, reduced surgical trauma, blood loss and infection risk and increased recovery time for the 45-year-old patient.
During the procedure, surgeons made small incisions in the upper abdominal wall below the diaphragm, eliminating the need to open the chest and break the breastbone.
The robot was then navigated through the preperitoneal space in the abdominal wall to remove the diseased heart. The same route was then used to implant the donor organ.
“Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient's recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants,” said lead surgeon Dr Kenneth Liao, chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor.
As it’s a minimally invasive procedure compared to traditional chest-opening procedures, the recovery period is drastically reduced, with less risk of infection and complications.
The patient had been in hospital since November 2024 with multiple mechanical devices supporting heart function.
Following the transplant in March 2025, the patient spent a month in hospital recovering before being discharged, without any complications.
Liao said: “This transplant shows what is possible when innovation and surgical experience come together to improve patient care.
