Coronary Artery Bypass (CAB)
Most commonly referred to as simply "bypass surgery," this
surgery is often performed in people who have angina (chest pain) and
coronary artery disease (where plaque has built up in the arteries).
During the surgery, a bypass is created by grafting a piece of a vein
above and below the blocked area of a coronary artery, enabling blood
to flow around the obstruction. Veins are usually taken from the leg,
but arteries from the chest may also be used to create a bypass graft.
Traditional coronary bypass surgery involved splitting the sternum, resulting
in a large scar and a lengthy recovery time. Since 1995 patients needing coronary
bypass procedures involving one or two vein graphs could elect to undergo a minimally
invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) procedure in lieu of traditional
surgery. Using smaller incisions MIDCAB procedures produce less trauma, less
pain and faster recovery.
With the advent of minimally-invasive robotic surgery, however, a new approach
to coronary bypass and MIDCAB became available to patients who needed only one
vein graph. Robotic surgeons can now accomplish a single graph of the left internal
mammory artery to left anterior descending artery using the da Vinci® Surgical
System. The superior viewing system and wristed instruments of da Vinci® allow
the surgeon to operate with greater precision resulting in less complication
and potentially better outcomes than conventional MIDCAB.
For the clinically appropriate patient, the da
Vinci® procedure offers
a number of potential benefits over traditional surgery, including:
- Less post-operative pain
- Less risk of infection
- Less anesthesia
- Less blood loss
- Shorter hospital stay
- Faster and more complete recovery
- Quicker return to normal daily activities
Content provided by Intuitive Surgical. For more information on this topic, please visit www.davincisurgery.com.