Trinity Health Michigan has successfully performed a robotic-assisted aortic valve replacement (AVR), offering patients living with aortic valve disease a minimally invasive surgical option that avoids the need for traditional open-heart surgery.
The procedure was performed at Trinity Health Ann Arbor by cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Robert Lyons, with support from fellow cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Andrew Pruitt, and the hospital’s experienced robotic cardiac surgery team. The patient is recovering well and has experienced no complications following the procedure.
Traditional surgical aortic valve replacement requires an open-chest sternotomy, in which the breastbone is separated to provide access to the heart. With robotic-assisted aortic valve replacement, Trinity Health Michigan surgeons can now operate through several small incisions between the ribs, with the largest incision measuring only three centimeters.
With this robotic approach, cardiac patients now have an expanded set of minimally invasive treatment options that complement current therapies, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)…