Candidates for Minimally Invasive Surgery
accelerated recovery and a speedy return to daily activities; reduced hospital stay; improved postoperative pulmonary function and a reduced need for inpatient cardiac rehabilitation.
"As soon as I got out of the post-op area and into a private room, I went back to work," said Alan Work, 45, of Chappaqua, New York, who had mitral valve stenosis surgery after having had rheumatic fever as a child.
"I was stir crazy and I'm not a lay-down kind of guy so I went back to work from my hospital bed; NYU even has call waiting in private rooms," the enthusiastic Work exclaimed.
Work said he chose NYU after his cardiologist recommended the medical center. "They said Dr. Colvin was the number one guy to do the procedure-he was the best. I'm a big fan. The surgical genius has even invited me to watch a similar procedure sometime," he added.
Dr. Stephen B. Colvin, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU specializes in heart valve repair surgery as well as surgery for congenital heart disease. The vast majority of these procedures are accomplished using the minimally invasive procedure of which he is a pioneer and teacher. Small incisions, approximately 4 - 6 centimeters, and endoscopes, tubes holding miniature video cameras, are now being used instead of cracking open the sternum with an open-chest incision and then using a circular saw to split the bones.
The minimally invasive surgery allows cardiac surgeons to perform the procedures with results comparable to the conventional type. However, it greatly reduces postoperative ventilatory and intensive care requirements, not to mention the cosmetic results. The mitral valve replacement and reconstruction is accomplished through a minimally invasive right anterior thoracotomy. Patients undergoing the minimally invasive approach have less pain and many advantages.
This minimally invasive approach to the mitral valve employs catheters introduced through the femoral vessels are proving popular with patients who are showing up at NYU from all over the world. Eighty to ninety percent of medical institutions still perform conventional surgery, but the less invasive surgery is de rigueur at NYU.
In exciting new developments that are continually evolving, wonderful results and excellent benefits have been realized with minimally invasive surgery for most patients with valvular heart disease. It has, in fact, become the preferred approach for most mitral and aortic valve surgery. The procedures are also proving popular for children with atrial septal defects who no longer receive the conventional midline sternotomy.
"We now have over 200 children on whom we've done minimally invasive surgery. They come from all over for this and other complex procedures that can't be done in their region of the world," says Colvin.
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Med Update is a publication of Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C. and is distributed by The New York Times. Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C., does not endorse the physician opinions expressed in Med Update. Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C. encourages discussion with your personal physician prior to seeking additional medical advice. The New York Times did not participate in the writing, editing, or photography of Med Update. Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C. exclusively owns all rights to Med Update. Photography is by Keith Weller. Please direct all inquiries regarding being featured in future issues of Med Update to Scott Simpson at (630) 718-9600 or (888) 962-4500
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Dr. Galloway says that to ascertain if a patient is a candidate for the special techniques utilized at NYU, they need their echocardiogram and any other cardiac catharization data, so that they can "determine how bad their disease is and if they're operable." "We like to get an overall assessment of the heart disease and we need some sense of their overall health," Galloway said, who added that their patient draw is an international one due to their minimally invasive techniques and the fact that they do a large number of repair of mitral valves instead of replacements. "We have one of the world's largest experiences with mitral valve reconstructive surgery where our patients keep their native valve rather than receiving valve replacements. We're much like a plastic surgeon who does reconstruction of a face in that we repair a valve ratherthan replace it; the institution is quite well known for this." Reconstruction instead of replacement has shown significant benefits due to the avoidance of long-term anticoagulation therapy, which decreases thromboembolic complications. Other superior patient benefits include a dramatic reduction in pain; |
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"As soon as I got out of the post-op area and into a private room, I went back to work," said Alan Work, 45, of Chappaqua, New York, who had mitral valve stenosis surgery after having had rheumatic fever as a child.
"I was stir crazy and I'm not a lay-down kind of guy so I went back to work from my hospital bed; NYU even has call waiting in private rooms," the enthusiastic Work exclaimed.
Work said he chose NYU after his cardiologist recommended the medical center. "They said Dr. Colvin was the number one guy to do the procedure-he was the best. I'm a big fan. The surgical genius has even invited me to watch a similar procedure sometime," he added.
Dr. Stephen B. Colvin, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU specializes in heart valve repair surgery as well as surgery for congenital heart disease. The vast majority of these procedures are accomplished using the minimally invasive procedure of which he is a pioneer and teacher. Small incisions, approximately 4 - 6 centimeters, and endoscopes, tubes holding miniature video cameras, are now being used instead of cracking open the sternum with an open-chest incision and then using a circular saw to split the bones.
The minimally invasive surgery allows cardiac surgeons to perform the procedures with results comparable to the conventional type. However, it greatly reduces postoperative ventilatory and intensive care requirements, not to mention the cosmetic results. The mitral valve replacement and reconstruction is accomplished through a minimally invasive right anterior thoracotomy. Patients undergoing the minimally invasive approach have less pain and many advantages.
This minimally invasive approach to the mitral valve employs catheters introduced through the femoral vessels are proving popular with patients who are showing up at NYU from all over the world. Eighty to ninety percent of medical institutions still perform conventional surgery, but the less invasive surgery is de rigueur at NYU.
In exciting new developments that are continually evolving, wonderful results and excellent benefits have been realized with minimally invasive surgery for most patients with valvular heart disease. It has, in fact, become the preferred approach for most mitral and aortic valve surgery. The procedures are also proving popular for children with atrial septal defects who no longer receive the conventional midline sternotomy.
"We now have over 200 children on whom we've done minimally invasive surgery. They come from all over for this and other complex procedures that can't be done in their region of the world," says Colvin.
Last Page || Next Page
Med Update is a publication of Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C. and is distributed by The New York Times. Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C., does not endorse the physician opinions expressed in Med Update. Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C. encourages discussion with your personal physician prior to seeking additional medical advice. The New York Times did not participate in the writing, editing, or photography of Med Update. Lionheart Ventures, L.L.C. exclusively owns all rights to Med Update. Photography is by Keith Weller. Please direct all inquiries regarding being featured in future issues of Med Update to Scott Simpson at (630) 718-9600 or (888) 962-4500