Jiali Wang

Excision of atrial myxoma using robotic technology

OBJECTIVEnThis study is to discuss a surgical approach for ideal and safe resection of atrial myxoma using the da Vinci S Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, Calif).nnnMETHODSnNineteen consecutive patients underwent resection of atrial myxomas with the da Vinci S Surgical System. Mean age of the patients was 46 +/- 16 years. Mean tumor size was 45 x 5.5 cm. Fifteen tumors were in the left atrium, of which 11 tumors arose from the interatrial septum, 2 from the posterocaudal wall, 1 from the root of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve, and 1 from the left atrial roof. In 13 patients, exploration was conducted through a left atriotomy anterior to the pulmonary veins and excision was achieved by dissecting a plane through the atrial muscle at the point of attachment. In the first 2 patients, exploration and excision were conducted through an oblique right atriotomy. Four tumors were in right atrium, all of which were resected from the beating heart. The da Vinci instrument arms were inserted through three 1-cm trocar incisions in the right side of the chest. Via 4 port incisions and a 1.5-cm working port, all the procedures were completed with a 30 degrees angled endoscope facing upward with the da Vinci S robot.nnnRESULTSnResection was successful in all patients. There were no operative deaths, strokes, or other complications. All the patients were discharged. No recurrences of tumor or septal leakage were found in the complete 1- to 18-month follow-up.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe excision of atrial myxomas with the da Vinci S Surgical System is feasible, efficacious, and safe. Surgical results are excellent.

Totally robotic resection of myxoma and atrial septal defect repair

Resection of left atrial myxoma and large atrial septal defect repair were performed in 55 patients using the da Vinci S surgical system to evaluate device safety and efficacy. Fifty-five patients underwent resection of left atrial myxomas (n=10) or secundum-type ASD (n=45) repairs with three cases of concomitant tricuspid valve repairs, using the da Vinci S surgical system. Mean age of the patients was 38+/-12.2 years (range 12-61 years). Cardiopulmonary bypass was achieved peripherally, aortic occlusion was performed with Chitwood cross-clamp, and antegrade cardioplegia was administered via anterior chest. Via four port incisions in the right chest and a 2-2.5-cm working port, all the procedures were completed with the da Vinci robot. All patients had successful resection or repairs. The mean CPB times and aortic cross-clamp times were 108.6+/-12.5 min and 45+/-11.5 min, respectively. There were no operative deaths, strokes, or device-related complications. One patient was reexplored for bleeding. There were no incisional conversions. All the patients were discharged. da Vinci S surgical system has no limitations to safe resection of left atrial myxomas and of ASD repairs, surgical results are excellent, and this technology is of reproducible value with excellent cosmetic results.

Early and midterm results of totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart.

OBJECTIVEnDespite the early introduction of totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass on the beating heart, only a limited number of cases have been performed. The limiting factor has been the concern about safety and graft patency of the anastomosis. This study describes our experience with totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass on the beating heart with robotic assistance and its early and midterm results.nnnMETHODSnIn 365 cases of robotic cardiac operations, 162 patients underwent robotic coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart, of whom 60 patients (46 male, 14 female) underwent totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass on the beating heart. The patients mean age was 56.97 ± 9.7 years (33-77 years). Left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending anastomosis was performed using the U-Clip device.nnnRESULTSnWe completed 58 totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass procedures, in which 16 patients received hybrid procedures. Two patients had conversions to a minithoracotomy. The average left internal thoracic artery harvesting and anastomosis times were 31.3 ± 10.5 (18∼55) minutes and 11.3 ± 4.7 (5∼21) minutes, respectively. The mean operating room and operation times were 336.1 ± 58.5 (210∼580) minutes and 264.8 ± 65.6 (150∼420) minutes, respectively. The drainage was 164.9 ± 83.2 (70∼450) mL. Before discharge, 50 patients underwent angiography and 8 patients underwent computed tomography angiography, and the study showed that graft patency was 100%. Unexpectedly, the left internal thoracic artery graft developed a collateral branch in 2 patients. After discharge, all patients were followed up by computed tomography angiography. The average follow-up time was 12.67 ± 9.43 (1-40) months. One patient had gastric bleeding after surgery.nnnCONCLUSIONSnTotally endoscopic coronary artery bypass on the beating heart is a safe procedure in selected patients and produces excellent early and midterm patency of anastomosis.

Robotically assisted mitral valve replacement

OBJECTIVEnIn the present study, we determined the safety and efficacy of robotic mitral valve replacement using robotic technology.nnnMETHODSnFrom January 2007 through March 2011, more than 400 patients underwent various types of robotic cardiac surgery in our department. Of these, 22 consecutive patients underwent robotically assisted mitral valve replacement. Of the 22 patients with isolated rheumatic mitral valve stenosis (9 men and 13 women), the mean age was 44.7 ± 19.8 years (range, 32-65). Preoperatively, all patients underwent a complete workup, including coronary angiography and transthoracic echocardiography. Of the 22 patients, 15 had concomitant atrial fibrillation. The surgical approach was through 4 right-side chest ports with femoral perfusion. Aortic occlusion was performed with a Chitwood crossclamp, and antegrade cardioplegia was administered directly by way of the anterior chest. Using 3 port incisions in the right side of the chest and a 2.5- to 3.0-cm working port, all the procedures were completed with the da Vinci S robot.nnnRESULTSnAll patients underwent successful robotic surgery. Of the 22 patients, 16 received a mechanical valve and 6 a tissue valve. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic crossclamp time was 137.1 ± 21.9 minutes (range, 105-168) and 99.3 ± 17.9 minutes (range, 80-133), respectively. No operative deaths, stroke, or other complications occurred, and no incisional conversions were required. After surgery, all the patients were followed up echocardiographically.nnnCONCLUSIONSnRobotically assisted mitral valve replacement can be performed safely in patients with isolated mitral valve stenosis, and surgical results are excellent.

Totally endoscopic robotic atrial septal defect repair on the beating heart.

BACKGROUNDnAtrial septal defect (ASD) repairs have successfully been performed on the arrested heart with the da Vinci S Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical). This study assessed the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the use of the da Vinci S Surgical System for on-pump ASD repairs on the beating heart without cross-clamping the aorta.nnnMETHODSnThis prospective study included 24 consecutive patients who underwent ASD repair surgery between June 2008 and June 2009. All of the procedures were completed with the da Vinci S robot via 3 port incisions in the right chest and a 1.5-cm working port. The operations were carried out on the beating heart with mild hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) without cross-clamping the aorta. Venting the heart from the working port provided adequate visualization of the operative field.nnnRESULTSnAll patients underwent complete repairs. Fourteen patients underwent ASD closure with a fresh autogenous pericardial patch, and 10 patients underwent direct ASD closure. Concomitant surgery was required in 4 patients. The mean (+/-SEM) CPB time was 65.6 +/- 17.7 minutes, and the mean operative time was 98.5 +/- 19.3 minutes. No patient required transfusion of red blood cells. The length of patient stay in the intensive care unit was 0.5 to 1.0 days. The length of hospital stay was 4 to 5 days. Follow-up transthoracic echocardiography evaluations showed no residual atrial septal leakage. There were no operative deaths, strokes, or other complications. All of the patients were discharged.nnnCONCLUSIONSnWe have shown that use of the da Vinci S Surgical System to perform on-pump ASD repairs on the beating heart without cross-clamping the aorta is feasible, safe, and effective.

Totally robotic atrial septal defect closure: 7-year single-institution experience and follow-up

OBJECTIVESnRobotic technology has been applied to atrial septal defect (ASD) repair for more than 10 years, but the number of cases reported is limited and results of long-term follow-up are not clear. This study reports on a large group of patients who underwent totally robotic ASD repair on an arrested or beating heart at a single institution with a 7-year follow-up.nnnMETHODSnFrom 2007 to 2013, 160 patients (median age, 36 years; range, 11-66 years) at our centre underwent selective repair of secundum-type ASD using the da Vinci robotic system. The first 54 cases were performed on an arrested heart (arrested-heart group, n = 54) and the remainder on a beating heart (beating-heart group, n = 106). The mean diameter of defects was 2.9 cm (range, 1.1-4.1 cm). Cardiopulmonary bypass was achieved via cannulation of the femoral vessels and the right internal jugular vein. Blood cardioplegic arrest was induced using a transthoracic Chitwood clamp in the arrested-heart group. With the assistance of a robotic surgical system, atrial septal defect repairs were performed with or without tricuspid valvuloplasty via three 8-mm ports, a camera port and a working port in the right chest. Transoesophageal echocardiography was used to evaluate surgical results and follow-up.nnnRESULTSnComplete ASD closure was verified by intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography in all patients. None of the procedures was converted to an alternate technique and there were no major complications. There were significant learning curves for cross-clamp time, operative duration and cardiopulmonary bypass time. The beating-heart group had significantly shorter operative and cardiopulmonary bypass durations than the arrested-heart group (P = 0.000). The two groups had similar durations of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit and hospital stays, and similar drainage volumes. During the 39 ± 21 months of follow-up, no patient required reoperation because of a residual shunt or tricuspid valve regurgitation.nnnCONCLUSIONSnASD can be performed safely and effectively on an arrested or beating heart with the assistance of robotic technology. This totally endoscopic approach represents an option for patients seeking a reliable, minimally invasive ASD repair with an excellent long-term result.

Totally endoscopic robotic ventricular septal defect repair in the adult

OBJECTIVEnWe have previously reported total endoscopic ventricular septal defect repair in the adult using the da Vinci S Surgical System. The optimal results encouraged us to extend the use of this technology to more complicated patients with ventricular septal defect.nnnMETHODSnFrom January 2009 to July 2010, 20 patients underwent total endoscopic robotic ventricular septal defect repair. The average patient age was 29.0 ± 9.5 years (range, 16-45). Of the 20 patients, 9 were female and 11 were male. The echocardiogram demonstrated that the average diameter of the ventricular septal defect was 6.1 ± 2.8 mm (range, 2-15), and 4 patients had concomitant patent foramen ovale. Ventricular septal defect closure was directly secured with interrupted mattress sutures in 14 patients and patched in 6 patients. All the procedures were completed using the da Vinci robot by way of 3 port incisions and a 2.0- to 2.5-cm working port in the right side of the chest.nnnRESULTSnAll patients were operated on successfully. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass and mean crossclamp time was 94.3 ± 26.3 minutes (range, 70-140) and 39.1 ± 12.9 minutes (range, 22-75), respectively. The mean operation time was 225.0 ± 34.8 minutes (range, 180-300). The postoperative transesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated an intact ventricular septum. No residual left-to-right shunting and no permanently complete atrioventricular dissociation was found postoperatively. The mean hospital stay was 5 days. No residual shunt was found during a mean follow-up of 7 months (range, 1-22). The patients returned to normal function within 1 week without any complications.nnnCONCLUSIONSnTotal endoscopic robotic ventricular septal defect repair in adult patients is feasible, safe, and efficacious.

Anesthesia management of totally endoscopic atrial septal defect repair with a robotic surgical system.

STUDY OBJECTIVEnTo investigate anesthetic techniques for robot-assisted endoscopic atrial septal defect (ASD) repair.nnnDESIGNnClinical observational study.nnnSETTINGnOperating room of a general military hospital.nnnPATIENTSn56 adult, ASA physical status 1 and 2 patients undergoing elective general anesthesia.nnnINTERVENTIONSnAfter induction of general anesthesia, a left-sided, double-lumen endotracheal tube was positioned to allow single left-lung ventilation and contralateral CO(2) pneumothorax (capnothorax). With ultrasound guidance, peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) catheters were placed.nnnMEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTSnAll patients tolerated single left-lung ventilation before CPB; however, hypoxia (oxygen saturation < 90%) occurred in 11 (19.6%) patients post-CPB, which required treatment with continuous positive airway pressure. Fifteen (26.8%) patients had hypotension secondary to capnothorax, which was treated with transfusion and vasopressors. Aortic cross-clamp time was 43.6 ± 11.2 minutes, and CPB time was 106.7 ± 12.4 minutes. The median intensive care unit stay was 21 hours and postoperative hospital stay was 4 to 7 days.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe key issue for anesthetic management of robot-assisted totally endoscopic ASD repair is maintaining stable hemodynamics and oxygenation, especially during one-lung ventilation and capnothorax.

GW25-e5229 Robotic Cardiac Surgery in China: 7-year Single-center Experience and Follow-up

This article aims to summarize the experience of 700 cases of robotic cardiac surgery with 7-year follow-up results revealed.nnA total of 700 patients underwent robotic cardiac surgery using da Vinci Surgical System from January 2007 to May 2014 in PLA General Hospital. There were 429 male and 271