LUFKIN, November 16, 2009 - The Memorial Health System of East Texas Robotic Surgery team and Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon Dr. Taylor Pickett recently attended advanced training for Mitral Valve Repair in North Carolina at the East Carolina Institute.The team trained with one of the pioneers of robotic-assisted mitral valve repair, Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood Jr., chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
“Although Memorial began performing robotic-assisted surgeries last year, it is important for our dedicated heart team to continue to learn and grow in this evolving surgical procedure. This advanced training keeps the Memorial team on top of a field that is rapidly growing,” stated Marilyn Phillips, Director of Surgical Services at Memorial Health System of East Texas.“More patients are undergoing robotic-assisted surgery today and benefiting from less pain, less scarring and a quicker recovery.”
The Memorial Health System of East Texas Robotic Surgery team and Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon Dr. Taylor Pickett recently attended advanced training for Mitral Valve Repair in North Carolina at the East Carolina Institute.Pictured are (l to r)Marilyn Phillips, Director of Surgical Services; Dr. Taylor Pickett, Cardiovascular and Cardiothoracic Surgeon; Ann DuPree, RN; Brenda Greer, RN, CNOR Team Leader; Stefanie Cabrera, Perfusionist; Jairo Monroy, Certified Scrub Technician (Not pictured: Dr. Joe Lo, Anesthesiologist; and Dr. Ravinder Bachireddy, Cardiologist.
Cardiothoracic surgeons use mitral valve repair to treat a narrowing or leakage of the mitral valve.The mitral valve is the inflow valve for the left side of the heart that allows blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle. When the valve leaks, blood backs up into the lungs and causes the ventricle to pump more blood. Symptoms include shortness of breath and fatigue. Traditional open-heart surgery requires surgeons to make an 8- to 10-inch incision by sawing through the sternum to open the rib cage to gain access to the heart. The da Vinci Hi-Definition Surgical System allows the surgeon to make three small incisions before inserting three robotic arms into the chest.The robotic arms consist of one with a small camera to project images onto a monitor in front of the surgeon while the other two arms hold specialized instruments and are designed to transmit the dexterity of the surgeon’s forearm and wrist into the chest of the operative site.The technology is very precise and can eliminate tremors in a surgeon’s hands. Seated at a computer console located approximately 6 feet away from the operating table, the surgeon views a magnified, high-definition, three-dimensional image and manipulates the surgical instruments using two joystick-like devices. Memorial Health System of East Texas performs robotic-assisted surgeries for heart, lungs, kidneys, gynecology and urology.To learn more about this surgical procedure, visit the Memorial Web site at www.memorialhealth.org.
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