In a first, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru conducts Robotic Cardiac Surgery on a 9-year-old boy diagnosed with a hole in the heart.

Doctors at Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru have successfully conducted a Robotic Pediatric Cardiac Surgery on a nine-year-old boy diagnosed to have a hole in the heart. If left untreated, the boy faced the risk of irreversible damage to his lungs and heart. The team of doctors led by Dr. Sathyaki Nambala, Chief Surgeon, Robotic and Minimally, Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, successfully completed the surgery in 60 minutes. This Robot assisted cardiac surgery is a first of its kind in the country, in the given pediatric age group.

A hole in the heart which is medically known as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) impacts blood flow, and is a heart defect present at birth. In serious cases, ASD can cause threat to the functioning of both the heart and lungs in the long run. Factors which may play a role in the development of ASD include certain medical conditions and medications, genetics, lifestyle, to name a few.

Sharing his thoughts on this first of its kind Robotic pediatric cardiac surgery, Dr. Sathyaki Nambala said, “When the 9-year-old patient visited Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, he was diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). However, owing to the condition and anatomy of the defect, the only option to address the case was thought to be an 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 further 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”

Robotic cardiac surgery is performed through multiple robotic arms with camera assistance, inserted through 8 mm ports. Therefore, the wounds are miniaturized. The two major advantages of robotic surgery over minimally invasive cardiac surgery are that there is no blood loss, there are miniaturized wounds (Approximately 8mm) and no rib spreading during surgery, which makes the post-operative period absolutely painless. The requirement for painkillers after surgery is also very minimal, enabling faster recovery and paving the way for discharge within 24 hours post-surgery.